Department for Work and Pensions

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to meet representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign to discuss the effect of 1995 and 2011 changes to women's state pension age.

Guy Opperman: There are no current plans to meet with representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign in the immediate future. This matter has been comprehensively debated on many occasions in Parliament, most recently in a Westminster Hall Debate on 5th July 2017 in which I stated I will be meeting the all-party parliamentary group when it is reformed. In addition to the substantive debate on this issue, previous Ministers have met with WASPI representatives to discuss the effect of the 1995 and 2011 changes to women’s State Pension age. Baroness Ros Altmann and Shailesh Vara MP met with representatives of the WASPI group on 29th June 2016 to listen to their concerns. This issue was also raised in a meeting on 23 November 2016 between the former Secretary of State Damian Green, the then Minister for Pensions Richard Harrington MP and representatives from the relevant All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). Following these meetings and debates, the government maintains the view that the 1995 and 2011 changes to State Pension age were necessary. We remain very clear that we will make no further changes to the State Pension age or pay financial redress in lieu of pension. Therefore the government believes that there is no value for either party in future meetings with representatives from the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.  A key priority for Government remains supporting individuals aged 50 years and over to return to and remain in the labour market, and tackling the barriers to them doing so. Since 2016 much work has been done to provide support back into employment, with 1.2 million over 65’s now in employment. In addition there is training and retraining, in many ways, as well as investment in lifelong learning and returnship schemes. We have also extended our network of older claimant champions to all 34 Jobcentre Plus districts to provide best practice and support to work coaches.

Employment and Support Allowance

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time is for an employment and support allowance claim to reach the assessment stage in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Birmingham, Yardley constituency.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Zero Hours Contracts

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2017 to Question 1302, if he will estimate the number of people engaged on zero-hours contracts who are in receipt of universal credit.

Damian Hinds: It is too early to estimate as numbers on zero hours contracts in UC remain low.

Department for Work and Pensions: Advertising

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on advertising on social media in each month since January 2016.

Damian Hinds: DWP Corporate Services has a contract with CARAT LTD for Media Buying services which covers Social Media advertising. The amount spent for the period stated amounts to an average of £21k per month. A more precise and detailed response could only be extracted at disproportionate cost.

Food Banks

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the findings of the Trussell Trust report on financial and food insecurity, published in June 2017, on the number of people with health conditions who use food banks.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the findings of the Trussell Trust report on financial and food insecurity, published in June 2017, on the number of employment and support allowance claimants using food banks in the UK.

Damian Hinds: It is widely acknowledged that the reasons why people use food banks are complex and overlapping, and therefore it would be misleading to link this to any particular cause. We are helping people with health conditions into employment and working to change attitudes. Since June 2016 over 750,000 people who were receiving incapacity benefits are now either preparing for or looking for work. As a safeguard for people needing more support, we have a well-established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans. The Department does not have data on the number of people with health conditions or Employment and Support Allowance claimants who use food banks.

Home Office

Crimes of Violence: Acids

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to collect and collate statistics on the age and gender of perpetrators of acid attacks.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office is working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to get a better understanding of the scale and nature of acid and other corrosive attacks.

Radicalism

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question 1467, when the report of the review into the funding of Islamist extremism was (a) finalised and (b) submitted to ministers; and from which external sources advice is being provided to ministers on publication of the report.

Sarah Newton: The Government’s review of funding for Islamist extremism in the UK was completed and reported to the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister in 2016. Ministers received advice on publication of the report from the Civil Service. Ministers have updated Parliament on the review today.

Metropolitan Police

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the capacity of the Metropolitan Police to handle multiple large-scale terrorist attacks such as that at Borough Market simultaneously.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office keeps the UK’s preparedness for terrorist attack under constant review, and is delivering a £144 million programme to increase numbers of armed police officers in the UK. The first phase of the armed uplift is complete, with an additional 41 Armed Response Vehicles and around 650 armed officers trained. The number of armed response vehicles has more than doubled in London and around a quarter of the national CTSFO capability will also be based in the capital.The Home Office also trains and equips specialist fire and ambulance teams to manage casualties in higher risk environments. These capabilities are deployable to a terrorist incident occurring anywhere in the UK, including London. Police’s response to the Borough Markey attack was fast and effective, with at least six armed response vehicles arriving on scene within the first ten minutes.

Greater Manchester Police

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the capacity of Greater Manchester Police to handle multiple large-scale terrorist attacks simultaneously.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office keeps the UK’s preparedness for terrorist attack under constant review, and is delivering a £144 million programme to increase numbers of armed police officers in the UK. The first phase of the armed uplift is complete, with an additional 41 Armed Response Vehicles and around 650 armed officers. The next phase - an increase in Counter-Terrorism Specialist Firearms Officers - is expected to complete in 2018, with a proportion to be based in Manchester.The Home Office also trains and equips specialist fire and ambulance teams to manage casualties in higher risk environments. These capabilities are deployable to a terrorist incident occurring anywhere in the UK, including in Greater Manchester. The emergency services’ response to the recent terrorist attack in Manchester was fast and effective, with at least six armed response vehicles arriving at the incident within ten minutes.

Terrorism: Finance

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish a report on the funding of extremist activities in the UK by foreign governments, entities or individuals.

Sarah Newton: The Government is determined to cut off the funding which fuels the evils of extremism in the UK. In November 2015, the Government commissioned a review into the funding of Islamist extremist activity in the UK, including any overseas sources. The review reported to the Home Secretary and Prime Minister in 2016 and it has improved the Government’s understanding of the nature, scale and sources of funding for Islamist extremism in the UK.The Government has updated Parliament on the review’s main findings on Wednesday 12 July 2017.

Undocumented Migrants: Private Rented Housing

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have contacted the Right to Rent check service in each month since that service has been in operation.

Brandon Lewis: The Landlords Checking Service started on 11th November 2014 as a pilot scheme covering the West Midlands. The scheme rolled out to the rest of England on 1st February 2016

Counter-terrorism

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of her Department's approved intervention providers for the Channel programme as located in each region of England.

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many intervention providers for the Channel Programme are pending approval.

Mr Ben  Wallace: There are 20 individuals currently undergoing assessment for approval to become intervention providers (IPs) for the Channel programme. Recruitment of IPs is a continuous process and 5 individuals have recently received Ministerial approval. The table below provides the current regional location breakdown of approved IPs. The majority of IPs work nationally and are frequently commissioned to work outside of their geographical location. We keep the list of IPs under review to ensure that regional distribution is appropriate to the number of Channel cases. RegionNumber of IPsNorth East2North West10Yorkshire and the Humber0East Midlands6West Midlands10East of England5London17South East1South West2Wales3

Government Communications

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding was allocated to the Research, Information and Communications Unit in her Department in each of the last three years; and what estimate she has made of the amount of funding that will be allocated to that unit in the next two years.

Sarah Newton: The funding allocation for the Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU) for the past 3 years is as follows, this includes both the administration and programme funding and covers funding for both CT and SOC delivery:2014/2015 - £12,487,2592015/2016 - £17,127,2702016/2017 - £21,087,203

Proof of Identity: EU Nationals

Joanna  Cherry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the cost of producing identification for EU nationals in order to prove their settled status after the UK has left the EU.

Brandon Lewis: Work is underway to scope the requirements of the system for EU citizens living in the UK to obtain settled status. It is too early to determine the precise requirement for administering the new settlement scheme and administrative costs of this, as this is dependent on the detail of what is agreed during negotiations with the European Union. Further detail will be confirmed as these details become known. The Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464), which was laid before Parliament on 26 June, sets out our proposals that EU citizens who arrive in the UK before the specified date and have five years’ continuous residence in the UK will be able to apply for UK settled status. We will publish further detail on the specifics of the new application process for settled status in due course.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Joanna  Cherry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of which judicial body will be best placed to have oversight of the rights of EU citizens with settled status after the UK has left the EU.

Brandon Lewis: The Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464), which was laid before Parliament on 26 June, sets out our proposals that European Union (EU) citizens who arrive in the UK before the specified date and have five years’ continuous residence in the UK will be able to apply for UK settled status.As set out in the policy paper, arrangements will be enshrined in UK law and enforceable through the UK judicial system, up to and including the Supreme Court. We are also ready to make commitments in the Withdrawal Agreement which will have the status of international law.

Counter-terrorism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish terms of reference for the Commission for Countering Extremism; and whether those terms will include foreign state funding of UK-based extremist groups.

Sarah Newton: The Government is considering options for establishing the Commission and will set out its plans in due course. We are determined to cut off the funding which fuels the evils of extremism in the UK. That is why in 2015 we commissioned a review on the funding of Islamist extremist activity, including any overseas sources. The review reported to the Home Secretary and Prime Minister in 2016 and it has improved the Government’s understanding of the nature, scale and sources of funding for Islamist extremism in the UK.

Compass Contracts

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Compass asylum accommodation contract, in 2015-16 and 2016-17, if she will publish a copy of the health and safety plan provided by the contractor.

Brandon Lewis: In accordance with the contract and as part of the regular governance arrangements, the Health & Safety Plans submitted by each of the asylum accommodation providers are reviewed regularly including the arrangements for annual safety audits. The Home Office has no plans to publish these documents or the subsequent reviews.

Proof of Identity: EU Nationals

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of providing non-UK EU nationals with identification documentation after the UK leaves the EU.

Brandon Lewis: Work is underway to scope the requirements of the system for EU citizens living in the UK to obtain settled status. It is too early to determine the precise requirement for administering the new settlement scheme and administrative costs of this, as this is dependent on the detail of what is agreed during negotiations with the European Union. Further detail will be confirmed as these details become known. The Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464), which was laid before Parliament on 26 June, sets out our proposals that EU citizens who arrive in the UK before the specified date and have five years’ continuous residence in the UK will be able to apply for UK settled status. We will publish further detail on the specifics of the new application process for settled status in due course.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the policy paper, Safeguarding the position of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU, published on 26 June 2017, whether the streamlined digital application process referred to in paragraph 35, page 12 will be available to EU citizens who do not have a passport.

Brandon Lewis: The Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464), which was laid before Parliament on 26 June, sets out our proposals that European Union (EU) citizens who arrive in the UK before the specified date and have five years’ continuous residence in the UK will be able to apply for UK settled status. The details of the settled status scheme will be subject to negotiations. We will publish further detail on the specifics of the new application process for settled status, including detailed eligibility criteria and requirements, in due course.

Refugees: Bank Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the British Bankers' Association on the process of opening a bank account for refugees who have been granted asylum in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: Home Office officials met with the British Bankers’ Association to discuss a range of issues, including the process of opening a bank account for refugees. To help refugees to prove their identity, when an individual is granted refugee status by the Home Office they are issued with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) as proof of the holder’s right to stay, work or study in the UK. How firms verify their customers’ identities is not stipulated in law or by the regulator. Banks may ask for driving licences and passports as forms of identification, as they are the most commonly encountered documents, but banks are not required to demand sight of them, and are encouraged to act reasonably and consider a wide range of other forms of identification.

Refugees: Children

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's policy is on allowing unaccompanied refugee children to sponsor their parents for the purpose of family reunion.

Brandon Lewis: Under the Family Reunion Rules, children cannot sponsor family members. Where an application does not meet the Immigration Rules, we consider whether there are exceptional or compassionate reasons for granting a visa outside the Rules.

Social Media: Radicalism

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to introduce fines for social media companies which fail to remove extremist content from their platforms.

Sarah Newton: This Government has been clear there should be no safe space online for terrorists and their supporters to radicalise, recruit, incite, or inspire. In March 2017, the Home Secretary held a very positive meeting with industry to discuss online terrorist content. Subsequent to the roundtable, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft made a public commitment to look at options for establishing an industry-led forum focused on tackling terrorist and extremist content online.This was formally announced by the companies on 26 June 2016. We continue to work closely with industry to come up with new, innovative ways for tackling terrorist use of the internet but, as the Prime Minister has made clear, we will also explore the possibility of creating legal requirements for communications service providers if they fail to take the necessary action to remove unacceptable content

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what process her Department plans to use to identify all existing lawful EU residents and their families eligible for the period of blanket residence permission, outlined in paragraph 24 of her Department's policy paper, Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June 2017; and what the procedure will be for applications for such permission.

Brandon Lewis: The Government’s policy paper (Cm 9464) is clear that the Home Office will provide a period of blanket residence permission, to start immediately on the UK’s exit from the EU. This will be a generic “umbrella” of temporary leave applying to all existing lawful EU residents (and their families), to give them a grace period between the moment that free movement ends and the time they obtain their residence document – allowing them to remain lawfully in the UK, and continue to undertake their lawful business during that interim period. Such leave, known as ‘deemed leave’ in UK law, under the Immigration Act 1971 does not require an application.

Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of her Department's capacity to implement the policy proposals outlined in her Department's policy paper  Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June 2017.

Brandon Lewis: The Government set out its fair and serious offer to EU nationals living in the UK on 28 June. Negotiations on the nature and shape of the immigration system that will operate after UK exit from the EU have started with our EU partners. The Home Office currently processes several million immigration decisions each year. The necessary resources will be made available to implement and operate the new system for both those EU nationals already here and those that wish to come in future, alongside delivery of the Government’s existing plans to transform the operation of the immigration system. The Government will provide further detail in due course.

Immigration: EEA Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether  she plans to update her Department's guidance on removals and revocations of European Economic Area nationals as outlined in her Department's policy paper Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June 2017.

Brandon Lewis: Guidance will be developed and updated in order to support implementation of the new scheme.

Asylum: Children

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister of State, Home Office of 29 June 2017, HL 783, column 551, whether local authorities with capacity to care for a greater number of unaccompanied children than that set out under the provisions of section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 and the Written Ministerial Statement made on 26 April 2017, HCWS 619, will be able to apply to do so.

Brandon Lewis: The Government welcomes all offers from local authorities with capacity to look after unaccompanied asylum seeking children. We will continue to utilise these offers to fulfil all of our existing commitments, including ensuring a more equal allocation of unaccompanied children across the country through the National Transfer Scheme.

Sopra Steria: Complaints

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints were made about the loss of passport application packs or documents contained within those packs by Sopra Steria in the last year for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: Her Majesty’s Passport Office is unable to specify the number of complaints in relation to losses of passport applications or supporting documents by Sopra Steria, as this level of detail is not recorded.

Police: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total amount remaining in the Special Grant available to police forces is for 2017-18.

Mr Nick Hurd: As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement at the time of the police settlement (15 December 2016), in 2017/18, the Government is providing £50m from the police settlement for Police Special Grant. This is an increase which reflects both an assessment of potential need across police forces, and the specific costs likely to be incurred preparing for the policing operation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018. By its nature, Special Grant deals with unusual and significant expenditures. Ministers receive a number of applications throughout the year, which are typically referred to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to review before a final decision. Given that a number of applications are being carefully considered, it is not possible to specify how much of the £50m remains available.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people classified as low risk on the Sex Offenders Register are recorded in the Disclosure and Barring Service's automatic barring list (a) with and (b) without representations.

Sarah Newton: The Government does not hold data on the number or proportion of people classified as Low Risk on the Sex Offenders Register. Statistical information from the ViSOR dangerous persons database is owned by the police, and the Home Office does not have access to this information.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Sports Competitors: Down's Syndrome

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with disability sports organisations on classing Down's syndrome athletes as a separate and discreet class and excluding such athletes from participation opportunities in national disability sports events.

Tracey Crouch: We have not been approached about this issue and no recent discussion has taken place. Sport England is currently in discussions with National Disability Sports Organisations, about the role they can play to support the delivery of Government's strategy for sport and physical activity, Sporting Future, which is focused on tackling inactivity in priority groups, such as disabled people. This includes discussions with Special Olympics GB and Mencap about the work that they do with people with disabilities.

Young People

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the announcement on 8 November 2016 by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Minister for Civil Society, when she plans to publish her Department's new youth policy statement.

Tracey Crouch: The Government is considering the contributions made in the youth policy regional workshops held in March and April. An announcement will be made in due course.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure value for money in the delivery of the National Citizen Service; and whether she is taking steps to reduce the cost of that service to the public purse.

Tracey Crouch: DCMS and the NCS Trust are working closely together to increase the value for money of the programme. A key component of this work is the recommissioning of the NCS delivery network when the current set of provider contracts expire in autumn 2018. This refresh will provide an opportunity to reduce the provider unit cost. The NCS Trust is also exploring whether value for money can be further improved through innovations in delivery of the programme.

Office for Civil Society: Staff

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many permanent members of staff have been assigned to the Office for Civil Society since it was moved to her Department.

Tracey Crouch: On 6th July 2017 the Office for Civil Society had 87 members of staff in post. This figure does not include vacant positions and is made up of permanent staff, fixed term appointments and other forms of contingent labour. The number of staff in post and the mix of different appointment types vary throughout the year.

Dormant Assets Commission

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether a decision has been taken on allocation of the funds identified in the final report of the Commission on Dormant Assets, published in March 2017.

Tracey Crouch: The Commission on Dormant Assets made more than 50 recommendations in its report to Government. The Government is still considering the Commission’s report and will publish its response in due course.

Public Sector: Mutual Societies and Social Impact Bonds

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made by the Inclusive Economy Unit in working with other Government Departments to expand public service mutuals and the use of social impact bonds.

Tracey Crouch: The Centre for Social Impact Bonds and the Mutuals Team work closely with other government departments to support the development of SIBs and to increase the number, sustainability and commissioning of public service mutuals. For SIBs, this includes working with DWP to support disengaged young people through the Youth Engagement Fund SIB and cooperation with their Work and Health Unit, the DCLG Rough Sleeping Fund and DfE's work to support care leavers. For mutuals, this includes working closely with the DfE on their Innovation Programme to include public service mutuals as a new model of delivering children's services, and with the libraries team in DCMS for potential mutuals in libraries and cultural services. The number of public service mutuals has grown from 6 in 2009 to over 100 today.

S4C

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers of her Department have had with representatives of S4C since 1 January 2017.

Matt Hancock: Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-1-january-to-31-march-2017

Government Art Collection

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 1 March 2017 to Question 65037, which items from the Government Art Collection have been displayed at public museums or galleries in the UK in the last 12 months.

John Glen: The following works have been lent from the Government Art Collection have been displayed at public museums or galleries in the UK in the last 12 months: Christopher WoodPallant House Gallery, Chichester 2 July 2016 - 2 October 2016GAC 3814 Christopher Wood -Bridge over the Seine - oil painting  Edward Bawden - The Early WatercoloursFry Gallery, Saffron Walden 30 July 2016 – 30 October 2016 GAC 5639 Edward Bawden - Now with religious awe the farewell light, Blends with the solemn colouring of the night – watercolour   Kenneth Armitage Centenary ExhibitionVictoria Art Gallery 10/09/2016 - 27/11/2016 GAC 16447/CRichmond Park: Five Trees, Grey Sky Drawing by Kenneth Armitage GAC 16446/CRichmond Park: Two Trees with White Trunks Drawing by Kenneth Armitage GAC 9685Two Chairs and a Stool Painting by Kenneth Armitage Euan Uglow / Sargy MannThe Collection, Lincoln 24/09/2016 – 08/01/2017 GAC 16470/C Euan Uglow - North Cyprus: Study for a History Painting - oil painting  Paul NashTate Britain, London 26/10/2016 – 05/03/2017Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art, Norwich 07/04/2017 – 20/08/2017Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle 09/09/2017 – 31/01/2018 GAC 6828 Paul Nash - Nest of the Siren - oil paintingGAC 8536 Paul Nash - Event on the Downs - oil painting  The Subjective Factor: The Art of Victor PasmoreDjanogly Art Gallery, Nottingham 26/11/2016 - 19/02/2017Pallant House Gallery, Chichester 11/03/2017 - 11/06/2017 GAC 13121 Development in Green & Indigo No 2 Painting by Victor Pasmore   Joan EardleyScottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh 01/12/2016 - 01/03/2017 GAC 1842A Carter and his Horse Painting by Joan Eardley  Eduardo PaolozziWhitechapel Gallery, London 14/02/2017 – 15/05/2017 6678Sir Eduardo Paolozzi - Untitled - brass sculpture5641Sir Eduardo Paolozzi - Fun Fair - mixed media | collage  Behind the Mask: Claude Cahun and Gillian WearingNational Portrait Gallery, London 09/03/2017 – 29/05/2017 17286/1Gillian Wearing - Dancing in Peckham – video18616Gillian Wearing - Me as an artist in 1984 - 1/6 – photograph  In Focus: Eileen AgarJerwood Gallery, Hastings 15/03/2017 – 05/06/2017 15235Eileen Agar - Bride of the Sea - acrylic painting  Camden Town in the Blackdown HillsMuseum of Somerset, Taunton 25/03/2017 – 08/07/2017 5219Spencer Frederick Gore - Somerset Landscape - oil paintingQueer British Art 1861-1967Tate Britain, London 05/04/2017 – 01/10/2017 16042John Minton - Cornish Boy at a Window - oil painting Paul NashTate Britain, London 26/10/2016 – 05/03/2017Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art, Norwich 07/04/2017 – 20/08/2017Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle 09/09/2017 – 31/01/2018 GAC 6828 Paul Nash - Nest of the Siren - oil paintingGAC 8536 Paul Nash - Event on the Downs - oil painting British Art: Ancient LandscapesSalisbury Museum, Salisbury 08/04/2017 – 03/09/2017   11144 Norman Stevens - Stonehenge - 28/83 - aquatint   I Capture the CastleSouthampton City Art Gallery 26/05/2017 – 02/09/2017 2062Josiah Whymper, Richmond Castle, Yorkshire, Watercolour, 18570/264C Tunstall Smith, Kidwelly Castle, Linocut, c.1920-30s1368John Hawksworth, The Keep, Dover Castle, pen and ink and watercolour, 19509812John Piper, Caernarvon Castle I, Screenprint, 1971 John Armstrong: Sense and ExperienceThe Atkinson Gallery, Southport 05/06/2017 – 03/09/2017Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance 16/09/2017 – 25/11/2017 16682John Armstrong - The Red Cow, Tempera on wood,1940  AirThe Royal West of England Academy 16/06/2017 – 03/09/2017 0/5Christopher Nevinson - Battlefields of Britain - oil painting  Howard Hodgkin and IndiaThe Hepworth Wakefield 29/06/2017 – 08/10/2017 14912Howard Hodgkin - In the Studio of Jamini Roy - oil | wood  John Minton: A CentenaryPallant House Gallery, Chichester 01/07/2017 – 01/10/2017 1350John Minton - Ajaccio Harbour, Corsica - ink drawing  Colour and Perception from Seurat to RileyCompton Verney 08/07/2017 – 01/10/2017 10957Bridget Riley - Blaze IV – reproduction18253Liliane Lijn - Clear Red Koan - kinetic light sculpture  Painting PopAbbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal 14/07/2017 – 15/10.201712661Derek Boshier - I Wonder What My Heroes Think of the Space Race - oil painting. 50 - 60 kg12207Peter Phillips - Gravy for the Navy II - oil painting

Performing Arts: Equality

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the performing arts industry on diversity in casting voice-only performances.

John Glen: Government believes everyone should have access to opportunities in the cultural sectors. Ministers and officials across the Department regularly meet with a range of representatives of the performing arts industry to discuss issues affecting the sector, including the issue of diversity. The Government is clear that it expects the cultural sectors to represent our diverse society in their artistic talent, workforce and audiences.

Department of Health

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has recouped from EU member states whose nationals have received emergency treatment from the NHS in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Under European Union regulations, other European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland reimburse the United Kingdom for the cost of the National Health Service providing treatment to people they are responsible for under EU law, including UK nationals insured in another EEA country or Switzerland. In the same way, the UK Government reimburses other EEA countries and Switzerland for the cost of providing treatment to people we are responsible for under EU law, irrespective of nationality.Due to the complexities associated with collecting and aggregating information on costs and treatment, claims for EEA medical costs are typically submitted by EEA member states (including the UK) up to three, and sometimes more, years in arrears. Therefore, claims for any 12 month period do not necessarily reflect treatment provided in that period.Requested figures are provided in the attached excel sheet rounded to the nearest pound. They include the claims for all treatments (not just emergency treatments).Figures for 2016–17 should be published over the summer.



PQ2509 attached table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 40.12 KB)

Department of Health: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many protected disclosures were made by staff in his Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many such disclosures were found to be valid; how many staff alleged detriment as a result of making such a disclosure; and how many staff who (a) made such a disclosure and (b) alleged detriment as a result of a disclosure subsequently left the employment of the Department.

Mr Philip Dunne: The core Department had one protected disclosure where the investigation has concluded and was found to be unsubstantiated. It would not be appropriate to release additional information as it is necessary to protect the identity of individuals who have made disclosures.

Negligence

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on preventing escalating clinical negligence costs in the NHS.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increasing cost of clinical negligence cases.

Mr Philip Dunne: The costs of clinical negligence are rising due to a range of factors such as rising activity in the National Health Service, increasing life expectancy, costs of care and factors within the legal environment. We need to tackle this rising expenditure whilst ensuring that patients harmed by the NHS can access appropriate compensation and that the NHS is able to learn from mistakes and improve patient care. In February my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health met with the former Secretary of State for Justice (Elizabeth Truss) at which the Secretary of State for Health was informed that that there would be a change in the personal injury discount rate. This change will have a significant impact on the cost of clinical negligence and the effect on general practice indemnity costs is of particular concern. This is why alongside the announcement of a change to the rate the government announced that the Department will work closely with general practitioners (GPs) and Medical Defence Organisations to ensure that appropriate funding is available to meet additional costs to GPs, recognising the crucial role they play in the delivery of the NHS. Since that time the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) have consulted on proposals to change how the discount rate is set in future.The Department is working closely with MoJ on proposals to introduce fixed recoverable costs in clinical negligence cases which, if implemented, would reduce the disproportionality between damages and costs in lower value claims. The Department also recently completed a consultation on proposals to introduce a ‘Rapid Resolution and Redress’ scheme which, if implemented, would be an alternative compensation scheme for families who haveexperienced severe avoidable birth injury. This scheme is aimed at delivering a long-term reduction in these harmful events through investigation and learning and providing an improved experience for affected families. This would be a voluntary scheme which would not affect an individual's right to litigate.

Depressive Illnesses

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the forthcoming consultation on guidelines for treating depression in adults.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on forthcoming pieces of guidance. NICE is an independent body and develops its guidance on the basis of an assessment of the available evidence through consultation with stakeholders, including the Department.

Antenatal Care

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the occurrence of post-natal illness.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department is committed to improving maternity outcomes and experience of care for women and babies. In November 2015, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a national ambition to halve the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries that occur during or soon after birth by 2030. Action includes tackling issues of culture, leadership and learning, to improve safety in maternity units as well as the outcomes and experience of care for mothers and babies. The Our Chance campaign promotes advice about healthy pregnancy, highlighting the crucial risk factors during pregnancy and the postnatal period which may lead to adverse outcomes for mother and baby. In addition, the Avoiding Term Admission in Neonatal Units programme seeks to prevent the separation of mother and baby (except in cases with a compelling medical reason) and avoid admissions of full-term babies to neonatal units. The Department has invested £365 million from 2015/16 to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services, and NHS England is leading a transformation programme to ensure that by 2020/21 at least 30,000 more women each year are able to access evidence-based specialist mental health care during the perinatal period.

Suicide: Children and Young People

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of how many suicides involving (a) 10 to 14-year olds and (b) 15 to 19-year olds were the result of online bullying.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) online and (b) offline bullying on the incidence of suicide among children and young people.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not hold information on the number of suicides by people aged 10-19 years of age as a result of online bullying. However, the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness, which is commissioned by NHS England and supported by the Department, published a thematic review in 2016, Suicide by Children and Young People in England. A copy of the report is available at the following link:http://www.hqip.org.uk/resources/report-suicide-by-children-and-young-people-in-england/ The report identified ten common themes relating to suicides by people under 20 years of age between 2014 and 2015, including bullying (online and face-to-face) and suicide-related internet use.

Pregnancy Complications

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.

Mr Philip Dunne: Hypertension or high blood pressure during pregnancy (known as pre-eclampsia) is the most common medical problem that is encountered in pregnancy. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance, 'Hypertension in pregnancy: diagnosis and management', is aimed at healthcare professionals and women who develop hypertension during pregnancy. The guidance aims to improve care during pregnancy, labour and birth for women and their babies. Most clinical activity relating to pre-eclampsia is focused on diagnosing the condition as early as possible and managing the condition when it has been identified. NHS England expects providers of maternity care to pay due regard to NICE guidelines on diagnosing and managing pre-eclampsia. These are set out at:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg107 The Maternity Transformation Programme led by NHS England is working to improve maternity services by 2020/21. It seeks to implement the recommendations of ‘Better Births’ (the report of the National Maternity Review) and ensure that maternity services across England become safer, more personalised, kinder, more professional and more family friendly. The programme aims to reduce health inequalities and ensure all women have access to high-quality maternity care wherever they live in England. In particular, the programme is working to ensure women are in good health before, during and after pregnancy so that families get off to the best possible start. It will do so through a range of interventions including improving preconception care and supporting positive health and wellbeing choices in pregnancy to reduce risk factors.

Perinatal Mortality

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to further reduce the incidence of still births.

Mr Philip Dunne: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State is committed to reducing the rates of stillbirth in England and improving maternity outcomes for women and babies. In November 2015, he announced a national ambition to halve the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries that occur during or soon after birth by 2030. The Safer Maternity Care: next steps towards the national maternity ambition, published in October 2016, then set out a suite of initiatives, including actions to tackle issues of culture, leadership, and learning, in order to improve safety in maternity units and the outcomes and experience of care for mothers and babies.The action plan included the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle which is designed to support midwives and other clinicians to identify risks and implement care to prevent stillbirths and neonatal deaths in a focused way. The four interventions included in the Care Bundle are: - Reducing Smoking In Pregnancy;- Detecting Fetal Growth Restriction;- Raising Awareness Of Reduced Fetal Movement; and- Improving Effective Fetal Monitoring During Labour.The Care Bundle is being tested and piloted by volunteer maternity care providers. NHS England will then consider how to support implementation nationwide, as part of the Maternity Transformation Programme.The Department has also funded the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford to develop a national standardised Perinatal Mortality Review Tool to support local perinatal death reviews. This is an important contribution to the efforts to reduce stillbirths as the tool will ensure systematic, multidisciplinary, high quality reviews are carried out on the circumstances and care leading up to and surrounding each stillbirth and neonatal death. It will then enable maternity and neonatal staff to identify emerging themes across a number of deaths to support learning and changes in the delivery and commissioning of care, to improve future care and prevent future deaths which are avoidable.

Pregnancy: Paracetamol

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the potential effect of pregnant women taking paracetamol and its effect on unborn boys.

Steve Brine: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continuously monitors the safety of all medicines on the market in the United Kingdom and seeks independent expert advice from the Commission on Human Medicines on important new safety issues. The MHRA is aware of recently published research looking at the effect on male offspring of giving paracetamol to pregnant mice. All new evidence on the safety of paracetamol is kept under close review and this latest study will be carefully considered and any new advice will be communicated. There have not been any discussions with the Royal Colleges on this issue yet. Pregnant women should speak to their doctor or midwife before taking any medicine, including paracetamol.

Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the Government's response to the Accelerated Access Review, published in October 2016.

Steve Brine: We are considering the recommendations carefully and will provide a formal response in due course. Taking forward the Accelerated Access Review remains an important manifesto commitment, ensuring patients can access new cost-effective drugs and treatments faster.

Orkambi

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to secure an affordable price for Orkambi, to make it available to people with cystic fibrosis.

Steve Brine: Ministers and Government officials have had a number of discussions with Vertex and NHS England in which the availability of Orkambi for the treatment of cystic fibrosis was raised. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops guidance for the National Health Service on whether new drugs and treatments represent a clinically and cost effective use of resources. NICE published final guidance on the use of Orkambi (lumacaftor-ivacaftor) for treating cystic fibrosis homozygous for the F508del mutation in July 2016 that does not recommend this treatment. Where NICE has not been able to recommend a treatment, funding decisions should be made by the relevant NHS commissioner, based on an assessment of the available evidence.

Suicide: Internet

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of websites promoting, encouraging or selling products to assist with suicide.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has to restrict access to websites that promote or encourage suicide or self-harm.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans the Government has to restrict access to websites that sell suicide kits online.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not hold information on the number of websites promoting, encouraging or selling products that assist suicide and self-harm.People or organisations that provide information or sell products online must operate within the law. It is illegal to assist a suicide. The law does not differentiate between criminal offences committed online or anywhere else; it is the action that is illegal. The Government works with the online sector and other stakeholders to address issues of safety online and the impact of potentially harmful content.We expect websites including social media companies to respond quickly to reports of harmful content and abusive behaviour on their networks. This includes having easy to use reporting tools, robust processes in place to respond promptly when issues are reported, and suspending or terminating the accounts of those who do not comply with acceptable use policies.

NHS: Reorganisation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 26 April 2017 to Question 71179, if he will require all sustainability and transformation partnerships to publish the total amount paid to private consultants for providing advice.

Steve Brine: NHS England do not plan to require Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) areas to publish the total amount paid to companies who advise and/or support the delivery of improved health and social care. It is for each STP area to decide where they may need support or advice from external organisations and normal value for money rules apply. However, all partners within each STP area need to be disciplined about keeping costs as low as possible as they work to alleviate pressures on the National Health Service, and improve patient care.

Ambulance Services: Emergency Calls

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to modernise the ambulance call-handling system; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ambulance Response Programme, which is due to report its recommendations later this month, has been exploring whether changes to the way that the ambulance service responds to calls could help improve patient outcomes and help services better manage demand. The Programme is looking to ensure that the ambulance service provides the most clinically appropriate response to all patients. It includes a review of the time permitted to triage 999 calls before a resource is dispatched for all but the most serious calls in order to provide a more accurate clinical assessment, along with a pre-triage system to identify the most life-threatening calls as early as possible.

Urinary System: Diseases

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people diagnosed with chronic urinary tract infections receive appropriate treatment.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people diagnosed with urinary tract infections in England in the last 12 months.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he or officials from his Department have met (a) Professor Christopher Butler from Oxford University to discuss the PRINCESS Study on the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections or (b) Chris Harding from the University of Newcastle to discuss the ALTAR Study on the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether any ministers in his Department have discussed the future of the Urology clinic at the Whittington Hospital with (a) officials in his Department, (b) Simon Pleydell, Chief Executive of the Whittington Hospital and (c) the Board Members of the Whittington Health NHS Trust.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the testing regimes for urinary tract infections.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to support research into the (a) testing of and (b) treatment for urinary tract infections.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which minister in his Department has responsibility for urological conditions.

Steve Brine: I hold responsibility for urological conditions. Officials from the Department are aware that Whittington Trust is instigating a new multidisciplinary team at Whittington Health for the Lower Urinary Tract Service, as recommended by the Royal College of Physicians report and advised by NHS England and NHS Improvement. The first reconstituted multidisciplinary team will meet in July. Local commissioners will be members of the multidisciplinary team to support the review of people suffering with chronic urinary tract infections and ensuring that they receive appropriate treatment. New patients will be accepted into the clinic on a phased approach and with the agreement of local commissioners that there is a functioning multidisciplinary team in place. Ministers will be briefed accordingly. The Trust has worked with clinicians to develop a pathway for the treatment of children with lower urinary tract infections, who should now be referred to Great Ormond Street Hospital (the local tertiary service for children). All patients that suspect they have urinary tract infection should see their general practitioner (GP) who will be able to provide medical advice, set out a treatment plan and if appropriate refer to a secondary provider. Patients who are not able to be referred to the Lower Urinary Tract Service clinic should continue to seek support from their GPs. The National Institute for Health Research has previously and is currently funding a number of research projects on the testing and treatment of urinary tract infections. The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research, is funding the PRINCESS and ALTAR studies and will receive any publications resulting from the work. Both projects are ongoing and the Department looks forward to seeing the results when they are completed. Data on the number of people diagnosed with urinary tract infections is not collected centrally.

Health Visitors: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many health visitors have been employed in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows full time equivalent Qualified Health Visitors working in the National Health Service in England at 30 September 2010 to 2016. Data for March 2017 is also provided as this is the latest available. Figures are for Nottinghamshire and include organisations in Ashfield constituency.NHS Hospital and Community Health Services: Qualified Health Visitors working in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups in Nottinghamshire as at 30 September each specified year and latest data as at 31 March 2017Qualified Health Visitors (full-time equivalent)2010201120122013201420152016March-2017Nottinghamshire085113133136154145122Source: NHS DigitalHealth visitors may be employed by NHS provider organisations, but may also be employed directly by local authorities, or other care providers. Health visitors employed by local authorities and/or other care providers will continue to provide health visiting services, but will not be included in figures relating to the NHS workforce.

Parents: Advisory Services

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to provide alternative sources of advice to support new parents in areas where there is a shortage of health visitors.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Local authorities (LAs) are responsible for commissioning appropriate services for zero-to-five year olds in their areas, including health visiting, and decisions should be based around local needs. Health Visitors (HV) and their teams work in close partnership with other local early years’ services to ensure new parents have the support and advice they require to enable their children have the best start in life. The mandation of the universal health reviews for children up to two and a half years of age, which are commissioned by LAs and provided by HV services, was renewed by the Government this year. The mandation sets out in regulation requirements that ensure that parents have the support they need at key stages of the child’s early development.

Health Professions: Vacancies

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which specialist areas of medicine are experiencing shortages of (a) consultants and (b) registrars; and how many vacancies there are in those disciplines.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information is not available in the format requested. Health Education England (HEE) provide estimates of staff shortages as part of their Workforce Plan for England publication. Staff shortages as defined by HEE may be filled by staff working in Agency, Bank or overtime, however no estimate of the extent to which this occurs is available. The latest figures are available at the following link:hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Workforce%20Plan%20for%20England%202016-17.pdfHEE plan to publish the Workforce Plan for England 2017/18 in due course.

NHS: Property

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of establishing the NHS Property Board.

Mr Philip Dunne: Sir Robert Naylor’s review of the National Health Service estate recommended the establishment of a ‘powerful new NHS Property Board’. The Government is giving careful consideration to the Review’s recommendations, including the form and function of an NHS Property Board and the best way to support estates transformation by providing leadership, expertise and delivery support to the NHS and strengthening existing estates capabilities and skills. No estimate has been made for the cost of establishing an NHS Property Board. We have been prioritising action to build capability by enhancing strategic estates support to help the NHS achieve the clinical transformation set out in the Five Year Forward View. A single, integrated team of Strategic Estates Advisors from NHS Property Services and Community Health Partnerships is providing immediate support to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships with the development and implementation of their local estates strategies.

Department of Health: Cabinet Committees

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which Cabinet committees and sub-committees relating to the UK leaving the EU he is a member of.

Mr Philip Dunne: Membership of Cabinet Committees (including sub committees) is decided by the Prime Minister. The Department works closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union on a day to day basis to ensure our interests are taken forward in negotiations for exiting the EU and the Secretary of State for Health is invited to attend Cabinet Committees when a matter directly affecting health comes up. The Government is committed to ensuring leaving the EU is a success for the health and social care sector as well as the United Kingdom as a whole.

Dental Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total cost of treating tooth decay in the NHS has been in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Steve Brine: The total cost of treating tooth decay in the National Health Service is not available. It is not possible to break down NHS dental spending to identify the total cost to the NHS of treating tooth decay as opposed to other dental diseases requiring treatment, such as gum disease.

Social Services

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to publish the (a) consultation on improving social care and (b) green paper on social care funding.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government will work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population, bringing forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support. We are committed to listening to people’s views on how to reform the social care system, to ensure it is sustainable for current and future generations and that the quality of care improves. We will provide further details on the next steps on social care in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to make a decision on the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon before the summer recess; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Government is currently assessing the recommendations of the Hendry Review and will publish a response in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many protected disclosures were made by staff in his Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many of those disclosures were found to be valid; how many staff alleged detriment as a result of having made a protected disclosure; and how many of those staff subsequently left the employment of the Department.

Margot James: The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has a whistleblowing policy and procedure in place which allows for civil servants to report a perceived wrongdoing within the department, including something that they believe goes against the core values in the Civil Service Code. The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) will apply in some of these cases, and provides protection to those that ‘blow the whistle’ in certain circumstances.The figures provided in the table below show the total number of whistleblowing cases that were protected disclosures under PIDA (A).The table goes on to show the number of cases found to be valid under PIDA (B), the number of employees that alleged detriment as a result of the disclosure under PIDA (C), and finally the number of employees who made a disclosure under PIDA, alleged detriment as a result of a disclosure and subsequently left the department (D).As BEIS was formed on 14th July 2016 we are only able to provide data from that date. A. Number of whistleblowing cases that were covered under PIDAB. Number of cases found to be valid under PIDAC. Number of employees that alleged detriment as a result of the disclosure under PIDAD. Number of employees who subsequently left the department (i.e. after making a disclosure and then alleged detriment as a result of the disclosure)2016/17Less than 5Less than 500

Electricity: Consumption

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many GWh of electricity consumed in the UK in the last 12 months were supplied by interconnectors.

Richard Harrington: The Government routinely publishes total import figures from interconnectors in the annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), and the quarterly National Statistics Energy Trends data. The latest available 12 month period of data spans 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 and shows a gross import of 17,228 GWh through interconnectors.

Electricity: Consumption

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many TWh of electricity were consumed in the UK in the last 12 months.

Richard Harrington: In the 12 months ending March 2017, the total UK electricity demand, which includes energy industry use, losses and final consumption by end users, was 354.5 TWh. This is down 0.7 per cent on the same period a year earlier.  Source: Energy Trends table 5.2 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electricity-section-5-energy-trends

Electricity Interconnectors

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what operational interconnectors there are in the UK; and what the MW capacity is of each of those interconnectors.

Richard Harrington: The UK currently has 4GW (4000MW) of operational interconnection capacity: IFA (Interconnexion France-Angleterre); 2GW (2000MW) from Folkestone, Kent to Calais, France, operating since 1986;Moyle; 500MW between South Ayrshire, Scotland and County Antrim, Northern Ireland, operating since 2002;Britned; 1GW (1000MW) from the Isle of Grain, Kent, to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, operating since 2011;East-West (EWIC); 500MW connecting Barkby Beach, North Wales to Dublin, Ireland, operating since 2012.

Electricity: Exports

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many GWh of electricity were exported from the UK through interconnectors in the last 12 months.

Richard Harrington: The Government routinely publishes total export figures in the annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), and the quarterly National Statistics Energy Trends data. The latest available 12 month period of data spans March 2016 to March 2017 and shows a total export of 2,782 GWh through interconnectors.

Electricity: Imports

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many TWh of electricity have been imported into the UK by individual interconnectors since 2012.

Richard Harrington: The Government routinely publishes total import figures from interconnectors in the annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES), and the quarterly National Statistics Energy Trends data. Electricity imported to the UK from January 2012 to end March 2017 amounts to the following: IFA (Interconnexion France-Angleterre) (France-England): 59.7 TWh;BritNed (Netherlands-England): 37.7 TWh;EWIC (East-West Interconnector) (Ireland-Wales): 2.3 TWh;NSI (North-South Interconnector) (Ireland-Northern Ireland): 1.1 TWh. In addition, 1.26 TWh were imported into GB from Northern Ireland.

Electricity Generation

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the T-4 capacity market auction for delivery in October 2021 will take place in February 2018; and and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: On 15th June National Grid released the capacity market timetable for 2017/18 and within it they have indicated that the T-4 auction will start on 6th February. Please find a link to the timetable document here: https://www.emrdeliverybody.com/Lists/Latest%20News/Attachments/109/Capacity%20Market%20Operational%20Plan%202017.pdf

Electricity: Costs

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average cost is of transmission network costs for (a) interconnectors and (b) domestic generators of electricity.

Richard Harrington: National Grid Electricity Transmission plc (NGET), in its role as system operator, have informed us that the average transmission network use of system charge for a GB generator is £5.77 / kW (2017/18 tariffs). The actual tariff is dependent on the location of the generator, the historic load factor of the generator, the type of generator and details of its specific connection. As part of the overall transmission infrastructure facilitating the wider market, interconnectors do not pay use of system charges for the transmission network. As producers and consumers are liable for charges in their own countries, additional charges for using the interconnector, to allow imports and exports, would amount to double charging and may hinder the ability of GB producers to export electricity to other countries.

Electricity Interconnectors

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many megawatts of new interconnector capacity are proposed by (a) 2020 and (b) 2025.

Richard Harrington: The UK has a pipeline of interconnector projects that are expected to play a role in providing reliable, affordable, and clean energy. Based on current project timelines and assuming all projects are able to complete, 3GW (3000MW) of new interconnector capacity are expected to be operational by 2020. A further 1.4GW is also currently under construction for delivery after 2020. There are a further 9.5GW of projects which have sought regulatory approval.

Hinkley Point C Power Station: Compensation

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the risk that the UK's withdrawal from the European Atomic Energy Community would trigger compensation clauses in the investor agreement in relation to Hinkley Point C power station.

Richard Harrington: We remain firmly committed to bringing forward the UK’s first new nuclear power plants in a generation.The Hinkley Point C contracts make provision for compensation in certain defined circumstances. The details of when these apply are set out in the agreements.The consequences of the intended withdrawal from the Euratom Treaty will be closely monitored and the department is in close consultation with the industry about its impacts.The Government will continue to support Euratom and to ensure that the UK continues to meet its international safeguards, and nuclear non-proliferation obligations and support its thriving nuclear industry.

Iron and Steel: China

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much Chinese steel has been imported into the UK in the last six months.

Claire Perry: Imports from China have reduced by over 200,000 tonnes between 2014 and 2016, with 41 trade defence cases for steel currently in place. Data on 32 steel products published by the International Steel Statistics Bureau up until the last full month collected (April 2017) is set out in the table attached.



UK steel imports from China
(PDF Document, 250.89 KB)

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what contingency plans the Government has in place to offset the decline in investment in the automotive sector since 2015.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage investment in the automotive industry.

Claire Perry: The Department works closely with the UK automotive industry, including through the Automotive Council, to understand the issues and opportunities the sector faces. The Government will continue its longstanding programme of support for the sector’s competitiveness. The UK has been very successful in attracting inward investment from automotive companies. Companies such as Nissan and Toyota have continued to re-invest, thanks to our highly-skilled workforce, strong partnership between government and industry, and long-term investment in new technology and innovation.We are determined to ensure that the UK continues to be one of the most competitive locations in the world for automotive and advanced manufacturing. This includes seeking a tariff and barrier-free comprehensive free trade deal in goods and services with the EU for a new, mutually beneficial customs agreement that allows cross-border trade to be as frictionless as possible.

Working Mothers: Flexible Working

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what guidance the Government provides to employers on the provision of flexible hours for mothers returning to work.

Margot James: Government provides a range of guidance on the provision of flexible hours, including for mothers returning to work. This includes guidance on the GOV.UK website covering what employers have to do, types of flexible working, the statutory application process and appeals. ACAS also provides advice and guidance.As we said in response to the Women & Equalities Select Committee report on the gender pay gap, the Government recognises the need to increase communications activity around flexible working and will explore options for doing so.

Equal Pay

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with business organisations on the implications of maternity leave and requests for flexible working for the gender pay gap.

Margot James: The Department meets regularly with business organisations to discuss a range of issues including those which can impact upon the gender pay gap. Consultations in 2015 and 2016 on the gender pay gap have emphasised that fully capitalising on the talent and experience of women makes business sense; it is good for individuals, employers and the economy.

Energy: Small Businesses

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of energy prices on the viability of small and medium-sized businesses.

Margot James: The Government is committed to ensuring competitive and affordable energy costs for all businesses as well as households. The Committee on Climate Change recently assessed energy costs for all businesses and concluded that energy costs are a small proportion of businesses’ operating costs.In their final report on the investigation into the energy markets published in June 2016, the Competition Markets Authority proposed a number of remedies to help microbusinesses access better energy deals. The Government supports the implementation of these measures which have now been implemented by Ofgem. These will improve the transparency of tariffs available to businesses and by making it easier for these businesses to switch suppliers.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what scope Ofgem has to implement a domestic energy market price cap without the need for further primary legislation.

Margot James: Holding answer received on 11 July 2017



Ofgem has wide powers under the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989 to modify the conditions of gas and electricity supply licences, which would allow for the introduction of a domestic energy price cap.

Business: Billing

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on regulation relating to late payment of invoices by businesses.

Margot James: There have not been any discussions between this department and my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office recently, on this specific subject. Large businesses have, since April this year, been subject to a twice yearly statutory duty to report to Government on their payment practices and performance. The first reports will be due from October this year, depending on the relevant business’s financial year.

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which members of the Cabinet will be responsible for making a decision on the pathfinder tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay.

Richard Harrington: Within the Cabinet, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has responsibility for matters of energy policy.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what communication he has had with Ofgem, further to his letter dated 21 June 2017, on implementation of an energy price cap for households on standard variable tariffs.

Richard Harrington: The Chief Executive Officer of Ofgem wrote to my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State on the 3 July 2017 and the Chairman of the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority wrote to the Secretary of State on 6 July 2017.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with energy suppliers on the implementation of an energy price cap for households on standard variable tariffs.

Richard Harrington: BEIS Ministers regularly meet with energy suppliers to discuss a range of issues.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of customers potentially covered by Ofgem's proposals for a price cap in the domestic energy market.

Richard Harrington: The Department has not undertaken to make any estimate for numbers of customers who would be protected, as no formal proposal has yet been made.

Renewable Energy: UK Trade with EU

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will assess the effect on the renewable energy sector of the UK leaving the EU without having agreed a trade deal with the EU.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 11 July 2017



Departments are currently conducting analysis with the Department for Exiting the EU to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on businesses, consumers and other economic actors.The renewable energy sector is a UK success story. Whatever happens in the future, the Government is committed to ensuring the UK remains a leader in this field.We’re building a system fit for the 21st century, giving investors certainty and driving down the cost of renewable energy for our homes and businesses.The second competitive Contracts for Difference allocation round is currently running, with a budget of £290m of annual support for 15 years for technologies including offshore wind.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the implications are for his Department's policies of data published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders on 20 June 2017 on investment in the automotive sector during the first half of 2017.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Trade with EU

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what response the Government plans to make to the request by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders of 20 June 2017 for an interim agreement for the UK to remain in the customs union as long as necessary to agree a comprehensive trade deal with the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: McKinsey and Company

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the value of the contracts awarded by his Department to McKinsey & Co in each year since 2010.

Margot James: The value of contracts awarded by the core departments of BIS and DECC prior to June 2016, and thereafter BEIS, with McKinsey & Co is:2015 - £449,0002016 - £ Nil2017 - £ Nil BEIS does not hold central records prior to 2015.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many protected disclosures were made by staff in his Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many such disclosures were found to be valid; how many staff alleged detriment as a result of making such a disclosure; and how many staff who (a) made such a disclosure and (b) alleged detriment as a result of a disclosure subsequently left the employment of the Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence began collating information on concerns/whistleblowing in September 2015 and has centrally collated records up to the end of the first quarter of financial year (FY) 2017-18.   Number of protected disclosures raisedOf which number resolvedNumber where there was a case to answerNumber where a grievance was raised by the individual relating to the disclosureNumber where a grievance was raised by the individual and they subsequently left the departmentFY 2015-1652461500FY 2016-1797611400FY 2017-18 (first quarter)162000Total1651092900

Sea Cadet Corps

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) financial and (b) other support his Department provides to the Sea Cadets.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Government and the Royal Navy support the Sea Cadets financially through a Grant in Aid payment. This is currently £10.5 million for this financial year and is paid to the Marine Society and Sea Cadets and through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This MOU sets out the further support with regards to the provision of personnel, accommodation, training and the related facilities on the Ministry of Defence estate.

Air Force

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the shortfall in manpower is for (a) commissioned aircrew, (b) non-commissioned aircrew, (c) officers and (d) non-commissioned other ranks in (i) 14 Squadron RAF, (ii) 56(R) Squadron RAF, (iii) 8 Squadron RAF, (iv) 5 Squadron RAF, (v) 51 Squadron RAF and (vi) 54 Squadron RAF.

Mark Lancaster: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate has been made of the cost of each sonobuoy that will be used by the P-8A maritime patrol aircraft once that aircraft comes into service.

Harriett Baldwin: As announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, the UK is investing in a fleet of nine P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, which are being procured via a Foreign Military Sale from the US Government. The Department cannot disclose cost information at this time as its release would prejudice our commercial interests although the sale does include initial sonobuoy provisioning.

Chinook Helicopters

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many aircraft in the RAF Chinook helicopter fleet are (a) operational and (b) in storage.

Harriett Baldwin: As at 1 April 2017 the UK Armed Forces has 60 Chinooks, all of which are meeting their operational taskings. I am withholding a further breakdown of aircraft status, as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Low Flying: Compensation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has paid in compensation to complainants affected by low-flying aircraft in the last two years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 27 January 2017 by the then Minister for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel (Mark Lancaster) to Question 60906.

Defence Equipment: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what command acquisition and support plans for equipment and support requirements are in place between (a) Navy Command, (b) Army Command, (c) Air Command, (d) Joint Forces Commands and Defence Equipment and Support.

Hannah Bardell: Defence Equipment and Support has Command Acquisition Support Plans in place with each of the Commands. These set out equipment and support requirements over a 10-year period and are reviewed annually.

Firing Ranges: Security

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many unauthorised entries to MOD firing ranges have been recorded in the last two years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Bases: Security

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many successful prosecutions of foreign nationals there have been made for unauthorised entries under the provisions of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 to (a) AWE Aldermaston, (b) AWE Burghfield, (c) HMNB Devonport, (d) HMNB Clyde, (e) RNAD Coulport, (f) Northwood Headquarters, (g) RAF Fylingdales, (h) RAF Menwith Hill, (i) RAF Croughton, (j) RAF Lakenheath, (k) RAF Feltwell, (l) RAF Mildenhall, (m) RAF Brize Norton, (n) SMC Marchwood, (o) RAF Fairford and (p) RAF Welford in the last two years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Since 1 July 2015, no foreign nationals have been prosecuted by the Ministry of Defence Police for unauthorised entry under the provisions of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 at the sites listed.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Non-domestic Rates

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on reevaluating the tax base for business rates.

Mr Marcus Jones: Commercial properties are currently revalued every 5 years for business rates. At Budget 2016 the Government set an aim to increase the frequency of revaluation.The Government put in place a £3.6 billion package of transitional relief to help businesses facing an increase in business rates and at the Budget 2017 set out a further package to support businesses that may have difficulty paying business rates, including a £1000 discount for eligible pubs with a rateable value of less than £100,000. Additionally, £110 million has been available to assist those ratepayers losing small business rates relief or rural rate relief as a result of revaluation, as well as a £300 million discretionary relief fund over the next four years to enable local authorities to help their local businesses.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many protected disclosures were made by staff in his Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many such disclosures were found to be valid; how many staff alleged detriment as a result of making such a disclosure; and how many staff who (a) made such a disclosure and (b) alleged detriment as a result of a disclosure subsequently left the employment of the Department.

Mr Marcus Jones: The department has not received any protected disclosures in the last three years.In recent years the department has improved its strategic leadership and accountability of whistleblowing and improved whistleblower support. We have a senior whistleblowing champion with overall responsibility for whistleblowing practices and have implemented aclear and transparent policy and provided comprehensive guidance for staff. We also have a central point of contact for staff to raise concerns which is staffed by whistleblowing nominated officers who have received specialist training on how to respond to any concernsraised.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Equality

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral Answer of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what steps his Department has taken to use 2011 census classifications, including on Gypsies and Travellers, to audit racial disparities in public service outcomes.

Mr Marcus Jones: I refer the Hon Member for Stretford and Urmston to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Ashford in response to Question UIN 3079 on 11 July 2017.

Council Housing: Sales

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many council homes have been sold in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) Nottingham in each year since 2010.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will set out the criteria against which applications for additional funding from local authorities for work to address fire safety in tower blocks will be assessed.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons he appointed a recovery taskforce for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council and not Commissioners; and how the powers, responsibilities and accountability of that taskforce differ from those of Commissioners.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will set out the powers, scope, responsibilities and accountability of the recovery taskforce appointed to run the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Council Housing: Construction

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what incentives are available to local authorities to build council housing on (a) brownfield and (b) greenfield sites.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HM Treasury

Excise Duties: Fuels

Neil Parish: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how much will be raised for the public purse in fuel duty in each year to 2029-30.

Andrew Jones: According to the latest provisional statistics released by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), fuel duties raised £27.9bn in the 2016-17 tax year. Forecasts for fuel duty revenues in future years are provided by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in their ‘Economic and Fiscal Outlook’. For the latest fuel duty revenue forecast, please see Table 4.6 on page 104:http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/efo/economic-fiscal-outlook-march-2017/ The OBR do not publish forecasts of tax receipts past the five-year ‘scorecard’ period (currently ending in 2021-22). However, in their 2014 ‘Fiscal Sustainability Report’ they did assess the sustainability of fuel duty revenues over a longer period. Please see Chapter 4 (page 123) of the report for more information:http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.org.uk/41298-OBR-accessible.pdf

LIBOR: Charities

Mr Steve Reed: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding will be available in the next round of Libor funding for charities.

Elizabeth Truss: The amount of funding available in the next round of Libor funding for charities (LIBOR 2017) will be confirmed once all applications for funding support have been received. The application window closes on 25 August 2017; full details of the scheme and the application form can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libor-funding-applications

Inheritance Tax

Matthew Pennycook: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to encourage more financial institutions, including those based overseas, to provide support to executors and administrators of estates, including with regard to making the deceased's liquid assets available for the payment of inheritance tax prior to the grant of probate in line with the 2016 Bereavement Principles.

Mel Stride: UK banks’ and building societies’ treatment of their customers is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in its Principles of Business. This includes a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers, including those who have recently suffered a bereavement. The Government is supportive of industry efforts to improve handling of these sensitive cases, including the implementation of the British Bankers’ Association’s Bereavement Principles. These Principles commit firms to support customers and, in particular, allow necessary payments to be made from the deceased’s accounts. Such payments include inheritance tax, which can be paid directly to HM Revenue and Customs, before probate is granted, through the Direct Payment Scheme. Where lower amounts are held, the Principles also commit firms to consider whether they can waive probate requirements and release funds more quickly.

Taxation

Liam Byrne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the value of tax cuts for companies and individuals earning more than £75,000 for each year since 2010 up to 2020.

Mel Stride: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The exchequer impact of individual policy measures are estimated in HM Treasury’s publications on policy costings accompanying each fiscal event.

Corporation Tax

Catherine West: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government plans to bring corporation tax down to 17 per cent by 2020.

Mel Stride: The government legislated in the 2016 Finance Act to reduce the corporation tax rate to 17% in April 2020. We want to ensure the UK remains an attractive destination to set up and grow a business. Cutting corporation tax increases the returns companies receive on their investments, allowing them to increase investment, lower prices, hire staff or increase wages.

Taxation: Business

Liam Byrne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will set out total receipts for (a) corporation tax, (b) VAT, (c) business rates and (d) national insurance contributions for each business sector in the last year for which figures are available.

Mel Stride: Corporation tax liabilities for each business sector are published online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/corporation-tax-payable-after-set-offs-classified-by-industry-by-year-of-liability. Value Added Tax (VAT) liabilities for each business sector are published in the VAT Factsheet, which can be found on the following website under ‘Factsheet Datasets’: https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx. Tab 2.5 shows the net VAT declared on traders' returns classified by Trade Sub-Sector. The information requested on business rates receipts is not available. Robust estimates of national insurance contributions for each business sector are not available.

Excise Duties: Diesel Vehicles

Mr William Wragg: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to undertake a consultation exercise on vehicle excise duty for new diesel vehicles.

Andrew Jones: The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review as part of the on-going Budget process. Consistent with the government’s tax consultation framework, where possible, the Government will engage interested parties on changes to tax policy and legislation at each key stage of developing and implementing the policy.

Income Tax

Justin Tomlinson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have (a) been taken out of paying income tax and (b) had a reduction in the income tax they pay in (i) North Swindon constituency and (ii) the UK since 2010.

Mel Stride: I refer the honourable member for North Swindon to the answers given on 22nd March 2017 to his previous questions on this subject.

Income Tax

Justin Tomlinson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to include the cash value of changes to income tax on payslips when any change is made.

Mel Stride: Information on income tax is provided in annual tax summaries which have been issued for the last three years. Tax summaries show individuals how their income tax and National Insurance contributions have been calculated for all their employments and other forms of taxable income, and how this contributes to public expenditure. Individuals can compare one year’s tax summary with another to see how changes to income tax, such as increases to the personal allowance, affect their tax bill. Since 2010, the personal allowance has increased by nearly 80 per cent - from £6,475 in 2010-11, to £11,500 in 2017-18.

Schools: Buildings

Justin Tomlinson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to remove the requirement for schools and colleges to pay VAT on extensions funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency which are directly connected to existing buildings.

Mel Stride: There is no provision under EU law that provides for the blanket exemption of schools from being charged VAT and the UK is therefore not able to exempt schools from paying VAT on extensions funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency. While the UK remains a member of the EU, we will continue to abide by our rights and obligations.

Minimum Wage

Justin Madders: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases have been brought for non-compliance with the national minimum wage in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available in (a) Ellesmere Port and Neston, (b) the North West, (c) England and (d) the UK.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enforce the National Minimum Wage (NMW) in line with the law and policy set out by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The government are determined that everyone who is entitled to NMW receives it. HMRC does not record statistics on complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to regions, constituencies or counties. In 2016-17, HMRC closed over 2,600 cases into NMW non-compliance and identified arrears of over £10.9m for more than 98,000 workers.

Consumer Price Index

Kirsty Blackman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the rise in the Consumer Price Index on consumer spending habits in each of the last 12 months.

Stephen Barclay: In their March Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the Office for Budget Responsibility expected consumption growth to slow as the past depreciation of sterling put upwards pressure on inflation. The latest data on household consumption show that in Q1 2017 it was 2.6% higher than a year earlier. The Government is taking action to support people with the cost of living. This includes increasing the National Living Wage, raising the personal allowance, and freezing fuel duty.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Jonathan Edwards: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether vehicle excise duty raised from cars registered in Wales will be included in the National Road Fund.

Andrew Jones: As set out in the Transport Investment Strategy, from 2020/21 the Government has guaranteed that all revenue raised from Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) in England will be allocated to a new National Roads Fund. Road infrastructure is devolved to the Welsh Government, which will receive Barnett consequentials resulting from any spending from the Fund.

Consumers: Expenditure

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in household spending power on the economic sustainability of businesses of all sizes in (a) the retail sector and (b) the service sector.

Stephen Barclay: HM Treasury has made no assessment of the relationship between household spending and business sustainability. The government is supporting business by cutting Corporation Tax to 17% - the lowest rate in the G20; providing over £23bn in additional investment in economic infrastructure, research and development, and housing; and through the Industrial Strategy, which will increase productivity and drive growth across the whole country.

Public Sector: Pay

Kirsty Blackman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been saved in 2017 prices as a result of the imposition of the public sector pay cap.

Elizabeth Truss: Projected savings were outlined in the Summer Budget 2015. Over the parliament 2010-2015, the government’s firm restraint over public sector pay delivered reductions to departmental spending, saving approximately £8 billion.

Social Security Benefits: Expenditure

Neil Gray: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much he plans to spend on social security in each of the next five financial years as a percentage of gross domestic product.

Elizabeth Truss: According to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Spring Budget 2017 forecast, the Government is forecast to spend 10.9% of GDP in 2017/18 on welfare in the United Kingdom. This figure falls to 10.7% in 2018/19, 10.5% in 2019/20 and 10.3% in 2020/21 and 2021/22.

Treasury: Contracts

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many contracts have been awarded by or on behalf of his Department to (a) Brewin Dolphin PLC, (b) Tullett Prebon PLC, (c) PARC, (d) Oxera, (e) Goodacre UK, (f) RELX, (g) Royal Dutch Shell, (h) KPMG, (i) Lloyds, (j) Bishop Fleming Accountants, (k) Ernst & Young, (l) Clerical Medical, (m) Heathrow Airport, (n) Deloitte, (o) PwC, (p) Grant Thornton and (q) Slaughter & May since July 2015; and what the value was of each of those contracts.

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many contracts have been awarded by or on behalf of his Department to (a) Brewin Dolphin PLC, (b) Tullett Prebon PLC, (c) PARC, (d) Oxera, (e) Goodacre UK, (f) RELX, (g) Royal Dutch Shell, (h) KPMG, (i) Lloyds, (j) Bishop Fleming Accountants, (k) Ernst & Young, (l) Clerical Medical, (m) Heathrow Airport, (n) Deloitte, (o) PwC, (p) Grant Thornton and (q) Slaughter & May between July 2010 and July 2015; and what the value was of each of those contracts.

Andrew Jones: The Government is committed to maintaining transparency about its procurement activity and publishes information about its contracts with a value of over £10,000 on the “Contracts Finder” website. The information requested is readily available here: https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder.

National Cyber Security Centre: Pay

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether employees of the National Cyber Security Centre are included in the one per cent public sector pay cap.

Elizabeth Truss: NCSC staff are subject to the same control on average public sector pay awards which applies across the public sector. The Government greatly values the important work that public servants do in delivering essential public services. Our policy on public sector pay balances the importance of recruiting and retaining high-quality people in our public services with making sure that our public finances remain sustainable, so that we can continue to see the improvements in our public services that we have seen under this Government. This approach has not changed and the Government will continually assess that balance.

Department for International Trade

Trade

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has plans to publish a White Paper on International Trade.

Greg Hands: The Government has set out in the Queen's Speech its intentions to introduce the necessary trade legislation to develop an independent international trade policy upon exiting the European Union. Before such legislation is introduced, a supporting paper will be published.

Burma: Overseas Companies

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what advice the Government provides to British companies which supply or are considering to supply the Burmese military or are considering entering into joint ventures or other business arrangements with military-owned or military-linked companies from that country.

Mark Garnier: British companies contacting the Department for International Trade’s Defence & Security Organisation for advice or support relating to exports to Burma are made aware that there is currently an arms embargo and other restrictions in force, and are referred to the Gov.uk website for further information.

Trade Agreements

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with each of the devolved administrations on the functions of a new Board of Trade.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations on a new Board of Trade he plans for each nation and region of the UK.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Welsh Government on the representation of Wales on the Board of Trade.

Greg Hands: The Board of Trade will serve the whole of the United Kingdom; and will include representatives from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This will ensure that the benefits of trade are spread across the whole of the UK.

Trade Agreements

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he plans to take to consult the devolved administrations on trade deals for (a) fishing, (b) agriculture and (c) transport.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade will work with citizens, businesses, and administrations from across the UK to ensure we develop a trade policy that works for the whole of the UK, and reflects the interests of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This engagement will cover all parts of the economy including fishing, agriculture, and transport.

Women and Equalities

LGBT People: Northern Ireland

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had made representations to the Prime Minister on LGBT rights in Northern Ireland prior to the Prime Minister meeting with Democratic Unionist Party leader, Arlene Foster, on 13 June.

Nick Gibb: The United Kingdom is recognised as a global leader on LGBT rights and I am immensely proud of our record. We have one of the strongest legislative frameworks to prevent and tackle all forms of discrimination, including on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender reassignment. The Government is committed to LGBT equality. As we work with others to govern in the national interest, we will continue to promote and champion the equal rights we believe in.

LGBT People: Northern Ireland

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and (b) Members of Northern Ireland Executive on the protection and promotion of LGBT rights in Northern Ireland.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to progress LGBT equality globally and is working hard with like minded countries to share best practice, notably through the Equal Rights Coalition, of which the United Kingdom is a founding member. The United Kingdom has made progress in promoting LGBT equality: we have one of the world’s strongest legislative frameworks to prevent and tackle discrimination. We are, however, not complacent and we are working hard to improve our legislation and policies. As we work with others to govern in the national interest, we will continue to promote and champion the equal rights we believe in.

Parliament: Disability

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the House of Commons Commission on taking steps to ensure that the Parliamentary estate is fully accessible to people of differing physical ability.

Nick Gibb: I have not had any such discussions. However, officials from the Government Equalities Office would be happy to discuss the reasonable adjustment requirements of the Equality Act 2010 with the Commission, if this would be helpful.

Equal Pay: Business

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to require companies with more than 250 employees to publish data on the pay gap between men and women.

Anne Milton: New regulations introducing mandatory gender pay gap reporting for large employers came into force earlier this year.

Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many protected disclosures were made by staff in his Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many such disclosures were found to be valid; how many staff alleged detriment as a result of those disclosures; and how many staff subsequently left his Department's employment.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport (DfT) introduced new Whistleblowing and ‘Raising a Concern’ policies in May 2015. The policies apply to DfT employees, who are Civil Servants, and set out the process that our employees should follow when reporting a perceived wrongdoing within DfT. According to our central records the information is set out below: How many protected disclosures were made by staff in his Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available: In the financial year 2015/16 there were 19 protected disclosures raised.In the financial year 2016/17 there were 21 protected disclosures raised. How many such disclosures were found to be valid: In the financial year 2015/16, there were 5 disclosures found to have a case to answer for. In the financial year 2016/17, there were 5 disclosures found to have a case to answer for, with 8 cases still ongoing. How many staff alleged detriment as a result of those disclosures: No reports were made by those raising protected disclosures about alleged detriment as a result of raising their concerns. How many staff subsequently left his Department's employment: In 2015/16 *Less than 5 members left the DepartmentIn 2016/17 *Less than 5 members left the Department *In line with Data Protection requirements, where there are fewer than 5 members of staff, I am unable to disclose further information.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Eddisbury

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what work (a) has been done and (b) is ongoing, to analyse historical satellite surveys to assess the rate and magnitude of recent ground movements on the proposed route of HS2 Phase 2B in Eddisbury constituency.

Paul Maynard: HS2 Ltd has not commissioned or used any satellite data analysis as current evidence does not suggest they are able to detect movements in rural areas with the accuracy required. HS2 Ltd are however investigating other analysis techniques and is reviewing the practicality of installing corner reflectors on the ground, in order to increase the accuracy of satellite data. Combined with other monitoring, this may enable subsequent and more modern satellite survey data to be analysed in sufficient detail.

Roads: Accidents

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's publication of 2 February 2017, Road accidents and safety statistics, for what reasons there has been a delay in the supply of data from data providers.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport (DfT) published the provisional road casualty estimates for the year-end September 2016 (Q3, 2016) as pre-announced on 2 February 2017. These provisional statistics were based on a snapshot of the data available from police records at the time of publishing, and it is not unusual for the provisional data to be affected by a small volume of missing data for a variety of reasons relating to resourcing, system changes and specific IT issues. For the 2nd February publication, DfT has now received the data in question.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Eddisbury

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if any space-borne synthetic aperture radar surveys have been commissioned to assess ground movements on the proposed route of High Speed 2 phase 2B in Eddisbury.

Paul Maynard: HS2 Ltd has not commissioned any space-borne synthetic aperture radar surveys on the proposed route of High Speed 2 phase 2B in Eddisbury.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the decision will be announced of the route of phase 2B of High Speed 2 from Crewe to Manchester and Leeds.

Paul Maynard: The Government confirmed the majority of the route in November 2016 and launched a consultation on seven route refinements. Our intention is to announce a Government response to the consultation as soon as possible.

Tyne and Wear Metro: Rolling Stock

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding model his Department has proposed for the delivery of a new train fleet for the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport (DfT) is in discussions with Nexus regarding their proposals for new rolling stock on the Metro. DfT and HM Treasury officials continue to work with Nexus to explore various funding options.

Department for Transport: Advertising

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has spent on advertising on social media in each month since January 2016.

Mr John Hayes: The department have spent the following on advertising on social media. A large proportion of the spend is on our iconic and highly successful Think! road safety campaigns, which have helped to contribute to a massive fall in road deaths due to drink driving over the last 50 years. MonthSpend (excluding VAT)January 2016£413,132February 2016£27,837March 2016£760,104April 2016£11,709May 2016£16,771June 2016£17,796July 2016£104,187August 2016£18,602September 2016£13,417October 2016£10,341November 2016£4,035December 2016£19,287January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017£23,645May 2017 June 2017£249July 2017

Cycling: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much central Government investment has been provided to (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands to upgrade the cycling network in those areas in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: Since 2010, local authorities in England have benefited from over £600m of funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) for sustainable transport initiatives, including cycling and walking, through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and its successors the Sustainable Travel Transition Year and Access Fund. Details of the areas where DfT funding has been provided can be found at: http://maps.dft.gov.uk/funding-for-sustainable-travel/index.html Coventry City Council received £3.496m of DfT funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund between 2011-15 for the “Cycle Coventry” project, which delivered cycling infrastructure and initiatives to encourage cycling amongst commuters, university students and local communities. Coventry also benefited from £270,000 of DfT funding in 2015-16 to enable Virgin Trains to improve cycle facilities at Coventry railway station. DfT has provided the following funding to local authorities in the West Midlands which has funded cycle networks and awareness raising initiatives: Cycle Ambition Cities Grant - Birmingham City Council£13m for 2013-15£1m for 2015-16£7.317m for 2016-17Local Sustainable Transport Fund - West Midlands£77.8m for 2011-15£8m for 2015-16N/ASustainable Travel Transition Year – West MidlandsN/AN/A£2.9m for 2016-17 Alongside this DfT provided a total of £1.224m in 2015-16 to improve cycle rail facilities at railway stations in the West Midlands region. There has also been funding for cycling and walking in the West Midlands over the last five years through Bikeability, the Local Growth Fund, Highways Maintenance Block and the Integrated Transport Block. Precise amounts spent on cycling and walking vary and will depend on decisions made by the relevant local authorities and other local bodies.

Cycling: North East

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department has made available for cycling in (a) Sunderland and (b) the North East since 2010.

Jesse Norman: Since 2010, local authorities in England have benefited from over £600m of funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) for sustainable transport initiatives, including cycling and walking, through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and its successors the Sustainable Travel Transition Year and Access Fund. Details of the areas where DfT funding has been provided can be found at: http://maps.dft.gov.uk/funding-for-sustainable-travel/index.html. Sunderland Council has benefited from around £100,000 per annum of DfT funding since 2011-12 for Bikeability training. All other DfT funding has been provided to the North East Combined Authority (NECA), which includes Sunderland. The amount of DfT funding provided to NECA, and its predecessor, for sustainable transport (including cycling and walking) was £28.56m from 2011 – 17, this includes £16.32m of Cycle Ambition City funding. DfT does not hold data on how this funding has been allocated between each local authority. Since 2010 there has also been additional funding, some of which will have benefited cycling and walking in the North East region. This includes through the Local Growth Fund, Highways Maintenance Block and the Integrated Transport Block. Precise amounts spent vary and will depend on decisions made by the relevant local authorities and other local bodies.

Railways: East Midlands

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his oral contribution of 4 July 2017, Official Report, column 1137, which routes currently operated under the East Midlands franchise are anticipated to benefit from a significantly shorter journey time as a result of the new Thameslink timetable; and what those changes in journey times will be.

Paul Maynard: Network Rail and the train operators are currently undertaking the detailed work to develop the 2018 timetable for the Midland Main Line.

Cycling: Per Capita Costs

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the level of public funding for cycling per head of population in each of the next five years.

Jesse Norman: Spending on cycling in England has risen from around £2 per person in 2010 to an estimate of around £6 per person in 2016/17. Precise amounts vary from one part of the country to another and depend on decisions made by local authorities and other local bodies. The amount of spending per head in each of the next five future years will depend on local decisions as well as on future decisions on Government funding. The total amount of investment in walking and cycling in England over the five-year period (2016/17 - 2020/21) is currently set at around £1.2 billion. The money comes from a wide range of ring-fenced and non-ring-fenced funding streams, as set out in the Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy which was published in April 2017 and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-and-walking-investment-strategy

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page five of High Speed Two Limited's Initial Framework Agreement with the TUC, published on 8 April 2016, if he will list the dates on which the joint committee has met.

Paul Maynard: Work on establishing a full Joint Committee is in process. There have been five meetings with the TUC in the last year to work on establishing the full committee. Those meetings are proving constructive and as HS2 moves into the first construction phase later this year, dates and arrangements for the full Joint Committee will be formalised.

National Air Traffic Services: Government Shareholding

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 33920, on National Air Traffic Services: Government shareholding, if it remains his policy to sell the Government's shareholding in the National Air Traffic Service.

Mr John Hayes: At the 2015 Spending Review, the Chancellor announced we were considering a potential sale of the Government’s 49% shareholding in NATS. Since then, HMG has indicated that no final decisions have been taken and HMG will continue to keep its investment under review.

Railways: Fares

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question 1538, on railways: fares, what plans he has to increase the cost of regulated rail fares by RPI plus zero per cent in 2018.

Paul Maynard: The Government recognises that the cost of travelling for rail passengers can seem high – this is why since 2014 we have taken action and capped the regulated rail fares at RPI+0%. Train fare revenue is crucial to funding day-to-day railway operations and delivering the investment and massive upgrade programme currently underway, all of which passengers demand and expect.We of course keep policies under review.

Aviation: Egypt

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the airline industry and other key stakeholders on the resumption of direct flights to Sharm El-Sheikh; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: My officials have regular discussions with UK airlines and others about flights from Sharm el-Sheikh. DfT aviation security experts continue to work closely with their Egyptian counterparts on the ground, sharing their expertise in establishing effective security arrangements. We look forward to achieving the return of flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, once we can be assured of there being the necessary secure and sustainable security situation.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Venezuela: Human Rights

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on reported human rights violations in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK Government shares the deep concern of the international community regarding the deteriorating political and economic situation. Since April, there have been more than 80 deaths during protests.This is a critical time for Venezuela, and UK concerns over the situation have led Venezuela to be designated a FCO Human Rights Priority Country.I met the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Samuel Moncada, in his previous role as Minister for Europe on 26 October. I raised UK concerns at the deteriorating situation and encouraged the Venezuelan Government to accept offers of international aid to address chronic shortages of basic food and medical supplies.In March, I hosted a delegation of Deputies from the Venezuelan National Assembly and stressed the importance of an independent and empowered legislature. I issued a statement on 31 March echoing these views, following the Venezuelan Supreme Court's attempt to wrest power from the National Assembly.In May, then Minister for Human Rights, Baroness Anelay visited Caracas and delivered clear messages to senior government and opposition figures, expressing our concern at the political situation and the need to respect the freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protests.Following the 5 July attack on the National Assembly and its Deputies by pro-Government supporters, I issued a statement condemning the attack and calling for the Venezuelan Government to uphold the constitution and show respect for its democratic institutions.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many protected disclosures were made by staff in his Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many such disclosures were found to be valid; how many staff alleged detriment as a result of making such a disclosure; and how many staff who (a) made such a disclosure and (b) alleged detriment as a result of a disclosure subsequently left the employment of the Department.

Sir Alan Duncan: The figures on the numbers of protected disclosures (whistleblowing/raising a concern) in each of the last three years at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and their validity is as follows:2016/2017 9 whistleblows, 0 proven2015/2016 13 whistleblows, 1 proven2014/2015 16 whistleblows, 1 provenThe identity of all persons raising a concern remains confidential to the Anti Fraud & Corruption Unit and we are not informed as a consequence of any person leaving the FCO employment.

Mahmoud Abu Zeid

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on the release of the photojournalist Mahmoud Abu Zeid, known as Shawkan.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary raised our human rights concerns with Egypt's President Sisi during his visit to Cairo on 25 February 2017. This included emphasising the importance of a free and open society. Our Ambassador to Egypt, and other officials have previously raised Shawkan's case with the Egyptian authorities.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Equality

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the oral Answer of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what steps his Department has taken to use 2011 census classifications, including on Gypsies and Travellers, to audit racial disparities in public service outcomes.

Sir Alan Duncan: I refer the Honourable Member for Stretford and Urmston to the answer given by the Right Honourable member for Ashford in response to PQ3079.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Advertising

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department has spent on advertising on social media in each month since January 2016.

Mark Field: The FCO does not have a single Marketing and Advertising department and so does not collate social media spend in a way that would able us to fully answer your request without exceeding the appropriate cost and time limit.

North Korea: Guided Weapons

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has spoken to his US counterpart on the recent missile test in North Korea.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary spoke with the US Secretary of State following the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on 4 July. This latest missile test is a further violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions. The Foreign Secretary made clear the UK’s condemnation of the ICBM launch and our support for further action at the UN Security Council (UNSC). The UK will work with partners, including the US, to ensure we achieve a strong and united response which will include further significant measures.

North Korea: Foreign Relations

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his North Korean counterpart.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions with his North Korean counterpart. Following the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) intercontinental ballistic missile test of 4 July, I summoned the DPRK Ambassador to make clear the UK's condemnation of the test as a violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions and a threat to regional stability and international security.

China: Treaties

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions (a) he and (b) the UK ambassador to the People's Republic of China have had with their Chinese counterparts on the status of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

Mark Field: ​I held a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador on 5 July in which I made clear that the British Government does not accept the position of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson that the Joint Declaration is an historical document of no practical significance. I stressed that on this basis, as a guarantor of the Joint Declaration, the British Government regards it as legitimate to continue to issue a six-monthly report to the House on Hong Kong affairs.The Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Beijing also raised HMG concerns with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 5 July, stressing that the Joint Declaration is a legally binding treaty, registered with the UN. As a co-signatory, the British Government is committed to monitoring its implementation closely.

Hong Kong: Foreign Relations

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has spoken to Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, since 1 July 2017.

Mark Field: On 29 June, the Foreign Secretary issued a Written Ministerial Statement on Hong Kong to the House (http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statements/). The British Government congratulates the new Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Carrie Lam, on her inauguration on 1 July, and wishes her a successful term in office. The British Government looks forwards to working with the Chief Executive to deepen UK-Hong Kong relations and support Hong Kong to prosper long into the future.Our Consul General in Hong Kong met Carrie Lam on 19 April following her election victory of 26 March. I have not yet spoken to the new Chief Executive.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff have left or agreed settlements to leave his Department under (a) voluntary exit, (b) voluntary redundancy and (c) compulsory redundancy since 1 November 2016; and how much compensation was paid in those cases.

Sir Alan Duncan: No staff have left the Foreign & Commonwealth Office under voluntary exit, voluntary redundancy or compulsory redundancy since 1 November 2016. Accordingly no compensation has been paid.

Argentina: Foreign Relations

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met his Argentinian counterpart; and what was discussed at that meeting.

Sir Alan Duncan: I spoke to the new Argentine Foreign Minister, Jorge Faurie, on 3 July. During our phonecall I welcomed positive progress in UK-Argentina relations since President Macri's election and underlined the importance the UK attaches to honouring all of the commitments made in the UK-Argentina Joint Communique agreed in September.I last met the former Argentine Deputy Foreign Minister, Pedro Villagra Delgado, in London in December to discuss the humanitarian project to identify the remains of fallen Argentine soldiers in Darwin Cemetary in the Falkand Islands.

Department for International Development

Iraq: Humanitarian Aid

Edward Argar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to provide humanitarian support to (a) all the inhabitants and (b) the children in Mosul once the city has been liberated from Da'esh.

Alistair Burt: The UK is providing lifesaving assistance to those who have fled fighting in Mosul and we will continue to do so once Mosul is liberated. We are supporting UNICEF to provide water supply facilities in 12 camps for 166,000 displaced people, about half of whom are children. We are funding UNHCR to provide cash assistance for vulnerable displaced Iraqis, allowing them to prioritise what they need most such as food or household items. The UK is also funding the International Organisation for Migration to provide healthcare for Mosul’s citizens, including upgrading four surgical and medical emergency units and supporting ten health facilities in liberated areas of Mosul. The UK is the largest donor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund which funds projects across Iraq including protection services for children in and around Mosul.

Department for International Development: Equality

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the oral Answer of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what steps her Department has taken to use 2011 census classifications, including on Gypsies and Travellers, to audit racial disparities in public service outcomes.

Rory Stewart: I refer the Honourable Member for Stretford and Urmston to the answer given by the Right Honourable member for Ashford in response to PQ3079.

Iraq: Humanitarian Aid

Edward Argar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the level for humanitarian support from the international community required for the people of Mosul following that city's recapture from Da'esh.

Alistair Burt: The UN has just completed an updated assessment of the humanitarian needs in and around Mosul. The UN estimates that the cost of humanitarian assistance, which includes funding to meet basic needs such as shelter, healthcare, education and water facilities, could be up to $450 million. This has been factored into the UN’s 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which puts funding requirements for the whole of Iraq for 2017 at $984.6 million. The UK continues to work with the UN and lobby the international community to ensure that humanitarian partners have sufficient funding to meet the needs of vulnerable Iraqis.The Department for International Development is monitoring the situation on a daily basis.

Overseas Aid: Standards

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help other government departments that spend aid achieve Good or Very Good ratings under the International Aid Transparency Initiative.

Rory Stewart: DFID is providing regular advice to support departments to improve the transparency of their overseas development assistance. This includes workshops, guidance and the establishment of a network to share good practice. It is essential we pool skills and expertise across government to ensure we achieve this commitment, so the British public know their money is being spent well to eradicate poverty and keep Britain safe.

Department for International Development: Redundancy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many staff have left or agreed settlements to leave her Department under (a) voluntary exit, (b) voluntary redundancy and (c) compulsory redundancy since 1 November 2016; and how much compensation was paid in those cases.

Rory Stewart: No DFID staff have left or agreed settlements under voluntary exit or redundancy nor had any compulsory redundancy since 1 November 2016.

Burma: Peace Negotiations

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding was provided to support the peace process in Burma in 2016-17; and which organisations were recipients of that funding.

Alistair Burt: In the financial year 2016-17 DFID contributed £4.2 million to the Peace Support Fund managed by the Nordic International Support Foundation. The Fund provides support to civil society, youth and women’s organisations working on peace.The DFID Minister of State met representatives of the government and Burma’s ethnic groups during his visit to Burma in July 2017. The peace process was an important topic of discussion raised by the minister during his visit.

Burma: Internally Displaced People

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to address the shortfall in funding for internally displaced people in Shan State and Kachin State in Burma.

Alistair Burt: DFID has provided £25.8 million in humanitarian and health assistance to internally displaced and conflict-affected people in Kachin and Northern Shan States since 2012. The UK is one of the largest providers of assistance to the crisis in Kachin and northern Shan states. We will continue to respond to humanitarian need and will encourage other donors to play their part.

*No heading*

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Prosperity Fund in the delivery of her Department's goals.

Alistair Burt: The UK ended its traditional bilateral aid programmes with China in 2011 and ended all financial aid to the Indian government in 2015. Instead the UK is now building relationships with these countries focused on trade and investment and on working together on global issues. We need to be clear that the Prosperity Fund is part of this new more mature partnership and allows us to share cutting edge UK expertise to support economic growth and development. This is good for these countries but is also strongly in our own national interest.

*No heading*

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to promote trade between the UK and the Least Developed Countries.

Priti Patel: Trade brings economic growth to developing countries and benefits UK producers and consumers. That is why on 25 June I announced that as we leave the EU, we will secure duty-free access to UK markets for the Least Developed Countries. Once we have left, we will build on our track-record as a champion of trade and development, strengthening our existing support and seizing new opportunities to increase trade links.

*No heading*

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her policy is on the development of relations between schools in the UK and in Africa.

Rory Stewart: Developing connections between schools in the UK and in poorer countries can bring benefits to all the children involved. Through our Connecting Classrooms programme we are giving British children the chance to act as Global Britain's ambassadors, to build international partnerships and to shape the world they want to live in.

*No heading*

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the availability of safe drinking water in the Gaza Strip.

Alistair Burt: According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, most homes in Gaza are only getting water for a few hours every 3-5 days. The availability of safe drinking water has become worse because of fuel and electricity shortages. The UK is urging all parties to find a sustainable solution to the current situation and in the longer term, continues to urge the Israeli authorities to ensure fair distribution of water across the OPTs.

Department for Education

Scholarships: USA

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations she has made to the US Administration about (a) the strategic importance of the Fulbright programme to the special relationship and (b) the need to preserve funding for the programme in the years ahead.

Joseph Johnson: The Fulbright programme provides important opportunities for education exchanges between the UK and the US. We have received no communication from the US government to inform us of any proposal to cut funding of the Fulbright Programme.

Pupils: Attendance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Supreme Court ruling on Isle of Wight Council v Platt in April 2017, what plans she has to work with her colleagues in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to address the issue of disproportionate holiday cost increases outside of school terms.

Nick Gibb: We are pleased the Supreme Court unanimously agreed with our position that no child should be taken out of school without good reason. As before, head teachers have the discretion to decide when exceptional circumstances allow for a child to be absent, but this ruling removes the uncertainty for schools and local authorities that was created by the High Court judgment.The evidence shows that every extra day of school missed can affect a pupil’s chances of achieving good GCSEs, which has a lasting effect on their life chances.We are examining the Supreme Court judgment carefully and considering what our next steps will be.

Pre-school Education: Standards

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what number and proportion of children have been assessed as (a) meeting, (b) exceeding and (c) not yet reaching expected levels of development at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage in each of the last three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The data requested is published in the ‘Early years foundation stage profile results: 2015 to 2016’ statistical first release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results-2015-to-2016.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answers of 28 June 2017 to Questions 544, 545 and 546, when the supplementary tables with additional analysis will be published by her Department.

Nick Gibb: The open consultation on Analysing family circumstances and education closes on31 July 2017. The Department will be able to consider all responses received at this point and will publish a consultation response as soon as is possible in the autumn of 2017.The consultation response will include supplementary tables with additional analysis.

Social Mobility

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Social Mobility Commission's report: Time for Change: an assessment of government policies on social mobility 1997-2017, if she will launch a review into the possibility of creating a national coalition with councils, communities and employers to improve social mobility.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Education welcomes the Commission’s report, published on 28 June, which considers efforts to improve social mobility over the last twenty years. The Commission rightly concludes that too often life chances can be determined not by effort and talents but where you come from, who your parents are and what school you attend. The Department will set out further details on policy to tackle this social injustice in due course. Improving social mobility requires support from all parts of society: government, employers and civic organisations. Last year, we launched our £72 million Opportunity Area programme. In these 12 social mobility ‘coldspots’ we are working with a range of local partners to break the link between background and destination. We know these areas face some of the most entrenched challenges, as described by the Social Mobility Commission’s Index last year. Our approach here goes beyond what the Department and central government can do – extending to local authorities, schools, academy sponsors, local and national businesses, Local Enterprise Partnerships, FE colleges, universities, the voluntary sector, and more. The Secretary of State recently spoke at the launch of the Social Mobility Employers Index. The Index highlights how employers, including government, are taking steps to ensure talented people from all works of life can access good jobs. Through this collaborative process, we will not just build opportunity now but lay the foundations for further progress in the future. I strongly encourage employers to sign up to the Index next year.

Department for Education: Equality

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral Answer of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what steps her Department has taken to use 2011 census classifications, including on Gypsies and Travellers, to audit racial disparities in public service outcomes.

Nick Gibb: I refer the Honourable Member for Stretford and Urmston to the answer given by my Right Honourable Friend, the member for Ashford in response to PQ 3709.

Schools: Hate Crime

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what systems are in place for schools reporting hate incidents occurring in the classroom.

Nick Gibb: Schools are required by law to have behaviour and safeguarding policies. Schools should record and deal with incidents according to those policies and are held to account for how they do so by Ofsted. The Department for Education’s statutory safeguarding guidance, ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (September 2016), is clear that if staff have any concerns about a child, or think that the child is in danger, they should speak to the school’s designated safeguarding lead.The Department’s ‘Preventing and Tackling Bullying’ guidance (July 2017) sets out that some types of harassing or threatening behaviour or communications could constitute a criminal offence. When school staff feel that an offence may have been committed, they should seek assistance from the police.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) families and (b) children who will benefit from the new 30 hours free childcare for three and four-year-olds when it becomes available in September 2017; and what estimate she has made of how many of those children will be (i) increasing their use of formal childcare and (ii) starting to use formal childcare.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We estimate that 390,000 families of three and four-year-olds will receive an additional 15 hours free childcare, saving families who use the full 30 hours, around £5,000 per year in total. Many children are already accessing more than 15 hours of childcare, and 30 hours will reduce the cost of childcare for working parents. In January 2017, we published a research report exploring parents' views and demand for 30 hours free childcare. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/586231/Parents__views_and_demand_for_30_hour_s_free_childcare_-_RR611.pdfThe findings indicated that of those currently using the 15 free hour entitlement, four out of five (83%) said they would take up the additional 15 free hours if they were available to them now. Of these, 61% said they would use the full 15 hours per week.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many additional childcare places have been created in each quarter since May 2015 to support the roll-out of the 30-hour childcare offer.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are making record investments in the government’s free childcare offer: over £1 billion more per year by 2020. This includes £300 million per year for a significant increase to the hourly rates paid for two, three and four-year-old entitlement. From April 2017, the national average funding rates also increased to £4.94 for three and four-year-olds and £5.39 for two-year-olds. We are also investing £100m in capital funding to create nearly 18,000 additional places for eligible children to help meet demand from hardworking parents. This investment will support even more providers to deliver 30 hours. In addition our national delivery contractor, Childcare Works, are supporting all local authorities to ensure they are ready to deliver the required number of free places in September 2017. Local authorities report that they have benefitted from support with estimating demand in their local areas.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) parents and (b) childcare providers have signed up to the Childcare Choices website in each month since it has been in operation.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many providers who have signed up to the Childcare Choices website to deliver 30 hours free childcare are (a) PVI providers, (b) maintained nursery schools or nursery classes and (c) childminders.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of families estimated to be eligible for 30 hours free childcare have signed up for that care via the Childcare Choices website; and what proportion of those families have gone on to register with a childcare provider.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Childcare Choices website provides information on whether parents could be eligible for a range of government childcare offers, including 30 hours free childcare. Parents can apply for Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare through the digital Childcare Service, which is accessible via Childcare Choices. Providers do not sign up to offer 30 hours free childcare via the Childcare Service. As of 30 June, successful parent applications have generated 98,579 valid 30 hours eligibility codes through the service. Since the service opened on 21 April 2017 to families that have children who will be under 4 on 31 August 2017, the number of valid 30 hours eligibility codes generated are as follows: 6,472 in April, 31,853 in May and 52,218 in June. We do not hold data on whether they have subsequently signed up with a provider.

Grammar Schools

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to introduce legislative proposals on grammar schools.

Nick Gibb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided on 27 June to Question number 128.

Schools: Admissions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect on the educational outcomes of children of an entrance exam to some state schools at the age of 10 or 11.

Nick Gibb: We have not assessed the effects of the entrance exam itself on the educational outcomes of children.

Sixth Form Education

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and which schools in England have closed their sixth form since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I am sorry, but the department does not record, or hold centrally, data on the number of schools that have their sixth form provision removed.

Sixth Form Education: Expenditure

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on 16 to 19-year-old education in each financial year since 2014-15.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department allocated to 16 to 19-year-old education in each financial year since 2014-15.

Anne Milton: Department for Education expenditure on 16 to 19-year-old education is reported in Education Funding Agency (EFA) accounts. The 2014-15 accounts are published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/526237/efa_annual_report_and_accounts_final_26_may_2016.pdf.The relevant information is included in the following lines from table 5 (Programme Costs) on page 155:Local authority maintained schools with sixth forms;Academies with sixth forms; andYoung people aged 16-19 years in further education. The 2015-16 accounts are published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579174/EFA_annual_report_and_accounts_2015_to_2016__Web_Accessible_.pdf:The relevant information is included in the following lines from table 3 (Grant Expenditure) on page 115:Local authority and other maintained schools with sixth forms;Academies – Grants to academies with sixth forms; and16-19 Further Education.The accounts for 2016-17 have not yet been published. Funding allocations to the sector, are made on an academic year basis rather than by financial year. Allocations are published each year and the data for 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 is available here:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-allocations#published-allocations.Funding allocations for 2017/18 have not yet been published. Funding for 16 to 19-year-old education includes Total Programme Funding and High Needs funding in the allocations tables. As EFA accounts are published by financial year, and funding allocations are made by academic year, the two sets of figures are not directly comparable.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Leisure: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will make funding available for the construction and maintenance of a swimming pool and other leisure facilities in Easington constituency to promote health and wellbeing.

Tracey Crouch: Local Government is by far the largest investor into community sport with £1bn invested each year and most grassroots sport is played using facilities (including parks and informal spaces) owned or controlled by the 353 local authorities in England. The government, through Sport England, works in partnership with local authorities to maximise the impact of this investment and safeguard it within the tough economic climate in which we all operate. Current Local Delivery Pilots are still in development and the government is exploring new ways of working across local authorities, Sport England and other partners in delivering local sporting facilities and infrastructure. Sport England has no current plans to develop a major, Strategic Facility, investment in Easington, but their funds for future investment can be applied for through their website.

Swimming: Public Participation

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) she and (b) the Minister for Sport plan to meet (i) Swim England and (ii) British Swimming to discuss increasing participation in (A) swimming for fitness and (B) competitive swimming.

Tracey Crouch: Swimming is both an important sport and physical activity, and a key life skill. I am very happy to meet with Swim England and British Swimming, in addition to meetings I already have planned with Swim England’s Swim Group, to discuss increasing participation in swimming for fitness and competitive swimming.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many protected disclosures were made by staff in her Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many such disclosures were found to be valid; how many staff alleged detriment as a result of making such a disclosure; and how many staff who (a) made such a disclosure and (b) alleged detriment as a result of a disclosure subsequently left the employment of the Department.

Matt Hancock: None.

Swimming Pools: Construction

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide funding for the construction of new swimming pools in (a) Hornsey and Wood Green, (b) London and (c) the UK.

Tracey Crouch: Sport England is the body responsible for making investment decisions on grassroots sports facilities in England. Across London, Sport England is currently investing £3.8 million from the Strategic Facilities Fund to construct three new leisure facilities which include swimming pools. It does not currently have any plans to fund the construction of a new swimming pool in Hornsey and Wood Green, but is able to offer support and guidance on how additional funding and advice could be accessed.  Local Government is by far the largest investor into community sport with £1bn invested each year and most grassroots sport is played using facilities (including parks and informal spaces) owned or controlled by the 353 local authorities in England. The government, through Sport England, works in partnership with local authorities to maximise the impact of this investment and safeguard it within the tough economic climate in which we all operate.  Sports policy is devolved and therefore the investment in swimming pools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved governments and Sport Wales, Sport Scotland and Sport Northern Ireland respectively.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with each of the devolved administrations on his Department's plans for the reform of agriculture after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Secretary of State has spoken to Ministers from Scotland and Wales and the Defra Permanent Secretary has been in regular contact with the Permanent Secretary in the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs – Northern Ireland (DAERA-NI). The Secretary of State has also had a number of meetings with stakeholder groups from the devolved nations since his appointment. He met Ministers from the Scottish Government at the Royal Highland Show and plans to meet his Welsh counterparts at the Royal Welsh Show as well as visiting Northern Ireland later this month. Ministers have had regular meetings with the devolved administrations over the past year.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the 25 year strategy for tackling bovine TB.

George Eustice: The Government is taking strong action to deliver a long-term plan to eradicate bovine TB. The comprehensive strategy includes strengthening cattle testing and movement controls, improving biosecurity on farm and when trading, and badger control in areas where TB is rife. The strategy is delivering results. Later this year we will apply for Officially TB free status in the Low Risk Area of the country where there is no significant TB in wildlife.

Beaches and Rivers: Litter and Sewage

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure that the UK's rivers and beaches are not polluted by sewage or litter.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government published the first Litter Strategy for England on 10 April, setting out our aim to clean up the country, including rivers and beaches. Our strategy is to apply best practice in education, enforcement and infrastructure to deliver a substantial reduction in litter and littering behaviour within a generation. The common aim of all the actions in the Litter Strategy is to change the behaviour of those who currently feel that it is acceptable to drop litter. By reducing the amount of litter dropped, and improving cleaning, we will also reduce the litter reaching our rivers and beaches. Pollution caused by sewage is controlled by discharge permits issued by the Environment Agency (EA) which must meet the requirements of various environmental regulations including the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations and Bathing Water Regulations. In England, between 2015 and 2020 water companies are investing over £2 billion to improve their sewerage infrastructure, guided by the requirements of the EA. This includes investment to improve sewage treatment works and collecting systems with the aim of reducing the polluting impact of sewage discharges on beaches and rivers. The results to date are that bathing waters are at their highest ever quality, thousands of miles of rivers have been improved and the number of pollution incidents greatly reduced.

Environment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure a common UK environmental framework when the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra is working closely with the devolved administrations, sharing factual information and establishing views and priorities to get the best possible deal for all parts of our United Kingdom as we leave the EU. The UK Government will work carefully to ensure that, as powers are repatriated from the EU framework, the appropriate powers are retained in Westminster and the appropriate powers are passed to the devolved administrations. In doing this, we will maintain the necessary common standards and frameworks for our own domestic market and empower the UK as an open, trading nation to strike the best trade deals around the world.

Agriculture: EU Law

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assistance he is receiving from the Chancellor of the Exchequer to ensure that his Department is fully funded to undertake its review of EU legislation on food and agriculture.

George Eustice: Over 80% of Defra’s agenda is affected by the vote to leave the European Union. As a result, Defra has reviewed and reprioritised its work programme so that many roles across the Defra group are now supporting EU exit-related work, either directly or indirectly. Given its extensive impact, it is not possible to give an isolated figure of FTE civil servants working on, or budget for, the EU Exit programme alone.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff of his Department are covered by the remit of a pay review body.

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff of his Department and each of his Department's agencies are covered by the remit of a pay review body.

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of staff within each sponsored non-departmental public body of his Department fall within the remit of a pay review body.

George Eustice: Only Senior Civil Servants (SCS) in Defra and its Agencies are covered by a pay review body. Delegated grades (Grade 6 and below) and all staff in NDPBs are not covered by a pay review body; they have pay awards that are subject to Treasury pay guidance. 99 people (4.4%) of Defra staff are covered by a pay review body.6 people (0.3%) of APHA staff are covered by a pay review body.3 people (0.5%) of CEFAS staff are covered by a pay review body.7 people (0.4%) of RPA staff are covered by a pay review body.3 people (1.9%) of VMD staff are covered by a pay review body. In total there are 118 people (1.7%) of staff in Defra and its agencies who are covered by a pay review body.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Gibraltar: Brexit

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make representations to the EU on including Gibraltar in all negotiated agreements as the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Prime Minister has been clear that we remain steadfast in our support for Gibraltar, its people and its economy. Also that Gibraltar is covered by our exit negotiations and we have committed to fully involve them as we prepare for the process of exiting the EU.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Equality

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking to encourage diversity in his Department.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union is committed to the creation of a diverse and inclusive working environment to ensure staff do not face any barriers to success, and all staff feel supported at work. As such, the Department is committed to the steps established in the Civil Service 2016 Talent Action Plan to help the Civil Service become the most inclusive employer in the UK. The Department is also committed to working with a diverse range of external organisations, to ensure our work reflects a broad range of opinions across the UK.The Department has an active equalities network to provide support and has appointed Catherine Webb as the dedicated senior equalities champion who sits on the Department's Executive Board and provides support and board level representation for the equalities networks. The department has dedicated mental health first aiders and has signed the Time to Change pledge in February 2017. Additionally DExEU has subscribed to the Disability Confident Employer Scheme and the two tick guaranteed interview scheme. We also intend to participate in the Stonewall equality index benchmarking exercise and the Social Mobility Index.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Equality

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the oral Answer of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what steps his Department has taken to use 2011 census classifications, including on Gypsies and Travellers, to audit racial disparities in public service outcomes.

Mr Steve Baker: I refer the Honourable Member for Stretford and Urmston to the answer given by the Right Honourable member for Ashford in response to PQ3709.

Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how continuous residence in paragraph 6 of his Department's policy paper entitled Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June 2017, is defined.

Mr Robin Walker: Any EU citizen in the UK before the specified date with five years’ continuous residence will be able to apply for UK settled status. Other EU citizens who arrive before the specified date will be able to stay until they have the five years’ residence to apply for UK settled status.Five years’ continuous residence is the period in EU law required, in most cases, for acquiring permanent residence status, and also under UK law for non-EEA nationals acquiring indefinite leave to remain.It is considered across the immigration system to be the period of time when an individual is fully integrated, and has contributed enough to the UK economy and society for restrictions on their immigration status to be lifted and for them to be able to settle here permanently.

Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to paragraph 37 of his Department's policy paper entitled, Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June 2017, whether the criteria for obtaining settled status will differ from that for obtaining permanent residence currently; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: The two essential conditions an EU national must meet in order to obtain settled status are firstly, that they have been resident in the UK for 5 years and secondly, that they are not considered to be a threat to the UK, through an assessment of conduct and criminality.The application process will be as streamlined and user-friendly as possible. Further details will be published in due course.

Immigration

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Government plans to implement any of the proposals in his Department's policy paper entitled, Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June 2017 before the conclusion of the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: We are planning to set up an application process before we leave the EU to enable those who wish to do so to get their new settled status at their earliest convenience. For those who have already obtained a certificate of their permanent residence, we will seek to make sure that the application process for settled status is as streamlined as possible.The UK Government and the Commission have stated that providing certainty to citizens is a priority. This is why we want to reach a reciprocal agreement for EU citizens in UK and UK nationals in the EU as quickly as possible. It is already clear that there is much common ground between the UK and EU positions and we are confident that we can reach an agreement on this important issue early in negotiations.

Attorney General

Homicide

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Attorney General, whether he plans to encourage the Crown Prosecution Service to introduce a regular review of evidence in homicide cases where (a) no person has been charged with an offence and (b) there has been an acquittal.

Robert Buckland: In murder cases involving an acquittal, the National Standards of Support, which were published in January 2017 between the voluntary organisation Justice After Acquittal, the CPS and the police, will be followed.These require the CPS and police to each conduct a case review, considering the evidence in the case, how the evidence was presented during the trial and whether anything could have been done differently. Further, there will also be an on-going police review of acquittal cases, held every two years with any new evidence / developments being submitted to the CPS as appropriate.Following a decision not to charge a suspect with murder or any other homicide offence, victims’ families can request a review of the CPS decision by an independent specialist lawyer in accordance with the CPS Victims’ Right to Review scheme.

Wales Office

Rhondda Tunnel

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on transferring ownership of the Rhondda Tunnel to the Welsh Government.

Alun Cairns: I hold regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on issues which relate to Wales. The Rhondda Tunnel is part of the Historical Railways Estate which comprises redundant former railway property owned by the Secretary of State for Transport. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport wrote to the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure on 24 April this year to indicate that the Secretary of State for Transport was content to transfer the tunnel to the Welsh Government. To date no response has been received from the Welsh Government.

Ministry of Justice

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support the Government is able to provide for Grenfell Tower residents to access Probate Registry papers.

Dr Phillip Lee: It is important that everyone affected by this terrible tragedy gets all the support and help they need.Anyone who wishes to undertake a search of the probate registry papers, or to obtain copies of a Will or grant of probate, may make an application to the relevant Probate Registry. The fee of £10 also includes a copy of the grant of probate (if one has been made) and the Will (if there is one).The Lord Chancellor has a power to remit fees where there are exceptional circumstances for doing so. Anyone who wishes to make an application for a fee remission should contact the delivery manager at the Probate Registry.

Victim Support Schemes: Terrorism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what long-term assistance is available for victims of terrorism in the UK.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Government is committed to making sure that victims of terrorism and bereaved families receive the best possible support both in the immediate aftermath, and in the long term. The appalling attacks in Manchester and London, just as previous attacks such as in Sousse, Tunisia, demonstrate how vital it is that support is available to victims and their families. In 2017, we established a cross-HMG Victims of Terrorism unit to co-ordinate support to UK citizens directly affected by terrorist events at home or overseas. It is working across Government, the voluntary sector and with local authorities to ensure that support to victims of terrorism is comprehensive, coordinated and clearly communicated. We have developed gov.uk webpages(see https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/terror-attacks-support-for-people-affected) to provide comprehensive advice to victims and to signpost them to support services in the UK. We have also been working closely with local authorities to highlight the support available, and will make sure that payments from the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund and the UK Solidarity Fund do not affect benefits payments.

Offenders: Biometrics

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any community rehabilitation companies in England or Wales use bio-metric machines as a method of reporting for offenders.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland; and Staffordshire and West Midlands Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) have piloted Biometric Reporting Kiosks. The pilot has involved stakeholder engagement with the National Probation Service and HM Courts Service in the area, and will be evaluated before it is implemented more widely. At the appropriate time, we will work closely with CRCs on their proposed plans to roll out Biometric Reporting Kiosks more widely. We continue to closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

First-tier Tribunal: Immigration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases are awaiting determination by the First Tier Immigration Tribunal.

Dominic Raab: This information is published regularly as Official Statistics. The number of registered appeals awaiting determination as of 31 March 2017 in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) was 52,365.

Immigration: Judges

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many new immigration judges were appointed in 2017.

Dominic Raab: Over the course of 2017, to date, one Resident Judge has been appointed to the First-tier Tribunal, Immigration and Asylum Chamber.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Staff

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many probation staff were employed by each community rehabilitation company in England and Wales on (a) 1 April 2015, (b) 1 April 2016 and (c) 1 April 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: When Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) were under public ownership (from 1 June 2014 to 31 January 2015), we published workforce information on a quarterly basis. The final iteration of these statistics was published on 31 December 2014 and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-rehabilitation-companies-workforce-information-report-quarter-3-2014-to-2015. Contracts with CRCs require each CRC to ensure that it employs a sufficient level of staff, and that its workforce is competent and adequately trained. We closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) anticipated and (b) actual caseload was for probation workers in community rehabilitation companies in 2016-17.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Figures on the average caseload of probation officers are not collected centrally. A probation worker’s workload is not based solely on the number of cases they are managing, but the level of supervision required. As per the answer to your question in January (59744), the MoJ publishes statistics showing the total caseload of the National Probation Service (NPS) and the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies. Figures for total probation caseload are published quarterly in the Offender Management Statistics Bulletin, England and Wales:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Finance

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any community rehabilitation company in England and Wales received additional funding above the agreed contract in 2016-17.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We have undertaken an overarching review of probation, looking at the standards we set for providers and how we hold them to account. We have already made some changes to how CRCs are paid so they can focus on activities that best rehabilitate offenders and keep society safe. The details of these changes are commercially sensitive, however relevant OJEU notices can be found at http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:45770-2015:TEXT:EN:HTML&tabId=4

Reoffenders

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serious further offence reviews were carried out in each community rehabilitation company area and for the National Probation Service in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been murdered since February 2015 by offenders who at the time of the offence, were being supervised by community rehabilitation companies.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serious further offence reviews were carried out for all probation areas in England and Wales in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A mandatory serious further offence (SFO) review is triggered where an offender under statutory probation supervision is charged with murder, manslaughter, rape or certain other serious violent or sexual offences. Not in all cases will the charge result in a conviction for an SFO. The table below provides the number of SFO reviews carried out by the Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and the National Probation Service (NPS) between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017.   Probation Provider2015-20162016-2017Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire CRC1015Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire CRC914Cheshire and Greater Manchester CRC2325Cumbria and Lancashire CRC117Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland CRC1416Dorset, Devon and Cornwall CRC56Durham Tees Valley CRC16Essex CRC910Hampshire and Isle of Wight CRC32Humberside, Lincolnshire, and North Yorkshire CRC1110Kent, Surrey and Sussex CRC1215London CRC4029Merseyside CRC38Norfolk and Suffolk CRC27Northumbria CRC912South Yorkshire CRC104Staffordshire and West Midlands CRC814Thames Valley CRC103Wales CRC915Warwickshire and West Mercia CRC65West Yorkshire CRC1710Total CRC222233Total NPS285284Total507517   We are not able to answer from central records the question in the precise form asked. However, between 1 February 2015 and 31 Dec 2016, 46 offenders were convicted of murder, who at the time of the offence were subject to supervision by a Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC). This figure is subject to change as a number of other cases are still going through the legal process.   The table below provides the number of SFOs carried out by the former Probation Trusts in England and Wales between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2014. Probation Trust2010-112011-122012-20132013-14Avon and Somerset1017810Bedfordshire1843Cambridgeshire5475Cheshire31165Cumbria4200Derbyshire811108Devon and Cornwall6856Dorset1131Durham1218910Dyfed-Powys3302Essex1619811Gloucestershire3016Greater Manchester29203733Gwent6354Hampshire138138Hertfordshire61148Humberside11937Kent22181313Lancashire188138Leicestershire and Rutland38512Lincolnshire3161London89897588Merseyside10151615Norfolk5074North Wales6778North Yorkshire4137Northamptonshire7721Northumbria22171014Nottinghamshire78715South Wales115127South Yorkshire13101417Suffolk3022Surrey6120Sussex3557Thames Valley714157Warwickshire2162West Mercia7576West Midlands33373437West Yorkshire21302026Wiltshire2155Totals441441409429

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the review on the functioning of community rehabilitation companies was completed; and what the main recommendations of that review were.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We have carried out a comprehensive review of the probation system to make sure that it is reducing reoffending, protecting the public and preventing future victims. The review concluded in April and we are taking forward work to improve probation services as a result. We will provide an update shortly.

Debt Collection

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the report Taking control: the need for fundamental bailiff reform, published by a consortium of debt advice agencies in March 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Justice is considering the report Taking Control: the need for fundamental bailiff reform.

Ministry of Justice: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many protected disclosures were made by staff in his Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many such disclosures were found to be valid; how many staff alleged detriment as a result of making such a disclosure; and how many staff who (a) made such a disclosure and (b) alleged detriment as a result of a disclosure subsequently left the employment of the Department.

Dr Phillip Lee: Data on protected disclosures made by staff in MoJ in the last three years, is as follows:Whistleblowing reporting Year:Number of casesNumber of complaints upheldNumber of employees that claimed to have suffered a detriment because they raised a whistle blowing concern.Number of employees that subsequently left the department as result of suffering detriment for blowing the whistle.* April 14 – March 15Figure not knownFigure not knownFigure not knownFigure not knownApril 15 – March 16**5Less than 500April 16 – March 17**7Less than 5Less than 50* The MoJ central data base was set up in March 2015. Prior to this information wasn’t recorded in the level of detail required to respond to these questions.** Figure includes a HMPPS case that was raised directly with the Civil Service Commission.

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Telephone Services

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any offenders supervised by community rehabilitation companies in England or Wales report to call centres.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire; Dorset, Devon and Cornwall; Wales; Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire; Essex; Norfolk and Suffolk; Cumbria and Lancashire; Northumbria; and South Yorkshire Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) currently use telephone reporting as just one part of their operating models, in addition to regular reporting in person, where it is an appropriate tool for the individual case. Contract management teams continue to closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the ownership of any community rehabilitation company has changed since February 2015.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Whilst all Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) remain under the same ownership, on 28 June 2016 the then Secretary of State for Justice agreed for consent to be given to the Working Links CRCs for the sale of 100% of ordinary shares in Working Links (Employment) Group Ltd, including those owned by the Department for Work and Pensions, to Aurelius Sigma.

Cabinet Office

General Election 2017

Justin Madders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Government's agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party once it has been concluded.

Damian Green: A copy of the confidence and supply agreement and supporting financial annex has been placed in the libraries of both Houses.

Iron and Steel: Procurement

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the level of Government procurement of UK steel was for each Department in the last financial year.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not held centrally. All public authorities are required to implement government guidelines that set out how government buyers should source steel for major projects so that the true value of UK steel is taken into account in major procurement decisions.

Government Departments: Payroll Deduction Scheme

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government intends to introduce payroll giving as an option for all government staff.

Caroline Nokes: All 18 central government departments already offer Payroll Giving to their staff.

Offshore Industry: Employment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) employees and (b) self-employed workers were classified as working on oil and gas installations on the UK Continental Shelf in each year between 2008-09 and 2016-17.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) employees and (b) self-employed workers were classified as working on offshore wind projects on the UK Continental Shelf in each year between 2008-09 and 2016-17.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many seafarers were classified as working on vessels engaged in offshore wind projects on the UK Continental Shelf in each year between 2008-09 and 2016-17.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many seafarers were classified as working on vessels engaged in decommissioning projects on the UK Continental Shelf in each year between 2008-09 and 2016-17.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response to PQ3287, 3288, 3289, 3290
(PDF Document, 64.05 KB)

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Pay

Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the average percentage pay rise awarded to Government special advisers in each fiscal year since 2009-10.

Chris Skidmore: Salary costs for special advisers are published annually. All publications for the period requested are available here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs. An updated version will be published in due course.

Government Departments: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Chris Bryant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many special advisers the Government employs, by Department.

Chris Skidmore: The Government publishes an annual report on the number and cost of special advisers. Previous reports are available here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs. An updated version will be published in due course.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Chris Bryant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the public purse was for special advisers, including the cost of redundancies, across all Government departments in each of the last five years.

Chris Skidmore: A list of special advisers and costs is published annually on gov.uk and deposited in the libraries of both Houses. The information can be accessed here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/special-adviser-data-releases-numbers-and-costs

Cybercrime

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will appoint a Minister with sole responsibility for cyber security.

Caroline Nokes: The First Secretary of State and the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Damian Green is responsible for managing the UK’s cyber security supported by myself. Specific objectives within the National Cyber Security strategy are aligned with departmental responsibilities and the corresponding Ministerial portfolio.We embed cyber security in everything that the the government does. To meet the challenges of cyber security we launched the new National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021 in November 2016. Our strategy is supported by £1.9billion of transformational investment and sets out ambitious policies to protect the UK in cyber space.

National Cyber Security Centre: Staff

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed at the National Cyber Security Centre; and what estimate he has made of changes to that number in each of the next five years.

Caroline Nokes: The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was established formally on 3 October 2016. At that time, the NCSC had a team of approximately 700 people. For reasons of National Security, we will not be providing further releases on staff numbers.

National Cyber Security Centre

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans are in place for the National Cyber Security Centre to assist companies in fighting against organised cyber-crime and preventing cyber-attacks.

Caroline Nokes: The cyber security of the UK is a top priority for Government. The Government are investing £1.9 billion in the National Cyber Security Strategy and have opened the National Cyber Security Centre who work with law enforcement and with public and private sector organisations to make the UK the safest place for everyone to live and do business online.The NCSC provides guidance and advice on its website to a wide range of organisations including companies of all sizes. Advice is tailored to the type and size of company, with specific guidance being produced for small businesses. NCSC works closely with the National Crime Agency (NCA), Regional Organised Crime Units in awareness raising and, for example, NCA and NCSC recently published a joint assessment on the Cyber Threat to UK Business. NCSC also partners with Law Enforcement in responding to and investigating serious instances of cyber crime.

National Cyber Security Centre

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans are in place for the National Cyber Security Centre to assist schools in fighting against organised cyber-crime and preventing cyber-attacks.

Caroline Nokes: The cyber security of the UK is a top priority for Government. The NCSC provides guidance and advice on its website to a wide range of organisations including schools. NCSC technical experts provide a range of advice and guidance on the website on topics such as passwords, ransomware, malicious advertisements, phishing, and device security. This guidance and advice will continue to be developed in response to technological changes, assessment of risk and cyber security incidents. NCSC is also building for the future, working with DCMS and DfE to grow a skills pipeline via its CyberFirst initiatives.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Contribution Pension Fund

Layla Moran: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent discussions the Commission has had with trustees of the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund on that fund's investments in carbon-intensive industries and fossil fuels; and whether those discussions included consideration of divestment of such investments.

Tom Brake: The Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund is a separate entity with its own trustees. The Commission has no role in the administration or investment management of the fund and has therefore had no discussions with the Fund’s trustees.